Fenerbahce failed to qualify for the Champions League on Wednesday after losing to Benfica. A day and a half later, coach José Mourinho lost his job.
On Friday morning, the traditional Turkish club announced that it had parted ways with Mourinho. The Portuguese coach had taken up his post for the 2024/25 season. His main goal was to get Fenerbahce into the Champions League. However, after a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the play-offs against Benfica, a 0-1 defeat on Wednesday evening meant that the dream was over.
Before and after the game, Mourinho, as we know him, took a clear verbal stance. The CL playoffs were not his team’s “natural habitat,” the 62-year-old said after the final whistle. And before the game, he had attacked a vice president of his club who was quoted as saying that the game against Benfica would be an easy task. In reality, it turned out that Fener was clearly inferior to the Portuguese.
During Mourinho’s tenure, the Istanbul club finished as runners-up and reached the round of 16 in the Europa League, while their Turkish Cup campaign ended in the quarterfinals. At the start of the new season, they have four points after two league games. However, during his 14 months in charge, the polarizing coach repeatedly antagonized parts of the fan base and the club with provocative statements.
On Thursday, city rivals Besiktas sacked their coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the club failed to qualify for the Europa Conference League. So in the SüperLig, many clubs are already turning over every stone – while Galatasaray are at the top of the table with a clean slate and 10-0 goals.