In one of the most bizarre administrative blunders in modern football history, former Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim was erroneously registered as a player for Serie A side Genoa on February 16, 2026, due to what the Italian club has officially described as a “catastrophic technical error” in the Lega Serie A’s digital transfer system. The 40-year-old Portuguese coach, sacked by United just three weeks earlier after a disastrous run of results, suddenly appeared on Genoa’s official squad list for the remainder of the 2025–26 season—complete with jersey number 40, position listed as “attacking midfielder,” and even a placeholder profile photo pulled from his Wikipedia page.

The glitch came to light when Genoa published their updated squad roster ahead of a Coppa Italia quarter-final tie against Fiorentina. Fans and Italian media immediately noticed the anomaly: Amorim’s name sat between young academy prospects and veteran defenders, accompanied by fabricated statistics (“0 appearances, 0 goals, 0 assists”) and a contract expiry date of June 30, 2026. Within minutes screenshots flooded social media, sparking confusion, memes, and widespread speculation that the former Sporting CP boss had secretly come out of retirement to play professionally—an idea quickly dismissed as absurd given his complete lack of senior playing career in Europe.

Genoa issued an emergency statement within the hour: “Due to a serious malfunction in the FIGC’s online registration portal, an erroneous entry was processed listing Mr. Rúben Amorim as a registered player. This is a technical error only. Mr. Amorim has never signed any playing contract with Genoa CFC and remains a non-playing individual. The club has requested immediate rectification and apologizes for any confusion caused.” Lega Serie A confirmed the issue stemmed from a software update that failed to properly distinguish between coaching staff registrations and player registrations during a batch upload of Genoa’s mid-season squad changes.

Amorim himself addressed the situation in a brief Instagram story posted from Lisbon, where he has returned since leaving Manchester United: “I just saw the news… I’m flattered someone thinks I can still run for 90 minutes, but no, I’m still retired from playing. Thanks for the laughs today.” The light-hearted response only fueled more viral memes, with fans photoshopping Amorim into Genoa’s starting XI, adding mock heat maps showing him covering the entire pitch, and joking that his first assist would be “passing the ball to his former self on the touchline.”

Behind the humor, however, the incident exposed alarming vulnerabilities in the Italian federation’s digital infrastructure. The FIGC’s online portal, introduced in 2022 to streamline transfers and registrations, has faced criticism before for glitches, slow processing times, and security concerns. The Amorim error marked the first time a high-profile non-player had been mistakenly registered as an active squad member, raising questions about data validation protocols and whether similar mistakes could affect eligibility or even result in unintended points deductions under league rules.

Serie A regulations state that only properly registered players may appear on official team sheets. Had the error not been caught before Genoa’s next fixture, the club could have faced sanctions ranging from fines to match forfeiture if Amorim had been named in the squad list. Fortunately, the mistake was identified early, and the erroneous entry was removed within 90 minutes of the roster going live. Lega Serie A has launched an internal investigation and promised a full technical audit of the portal before the end of the month.

For Amorim, the episode was an unintended but welcome distraction from a turbulent few weeks. After guiding Sporting to the Portuguese title in 2024 and earning widespread praise for his high-pressing, possession-based style, he was appointed Manchester United manager in November 2025 following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal. Expectations were sky-high, but a run of only three wins in his first twelve matches, coupled with dressing-room tensions and fan frustration, led to his sacking on January 26, 2026—just 78 days into the job. The Genoa glitch gave him a rare moment of levity amid ongoing speculation about his next move, with links to Ajax, AC Milan, and even a return to Sporting.

Genoa, meanwhile, finds itself at the center of unwanted global attention. The club, currently battling relegation in 17th place, issued a second statement clarifying that no compensation or legal action would be pursued against the federation at this stage, preferring to focus on upcoming matches. Coach Patrick Vieira, when asked about the incident in his pre-match press conference, quipped: “If Rúben wants to come train with us tomorrow, he’s welcome—but he’ll have to buy his own boots.”

The blunder has sparked broader conversation about the increasing reliance on digital systems in football administration and the potential for human error to create chaos even in the modern era. Fans have flooded both Amorim’s and Genoa’s social channels with jokes, support, and photoshopped images of the coach in Genoa’s red-and-blue stripes. Some have even started a tongue-in-cheek petition for Amorim to make a one-off cameo appearance in a friendly “for the memes.”

As the dust settles, the incident will likely be remembered as one of football’s most harmless yet hilarious administrative disasters. For Rúben Amorim, it offered a brief escape from the pressure of management and a reminder that sometimes—even in the serious world of elite football—the most unexpected things can still make people smile.