Fenerbahçe fires José Mourinho after Champions League failure

Fenerbahçe, after a disappointing elimination in the 'play-offs' of the UEFA Champions League against Benfica (1-0 global), announced the immediate dismissal of coach José Mourinho, putting an end to the Portuguese coach's brief and tumultuous spell on the bench of the Istanbul team.

"We are disassociating ourselves from José Mourinho, coach of our professional team since the 2024/25 season," the club reported in a statement. This is an abrupt departure for a coach who arrived with the promise of returning Fenerbahçe to the top of Turkish and European football.

"We thank him for his effort for our team and wish him success in his career," the club's statement concluded after a season marked by a lack of titles and multiple clashes between the Portuguese coach and the press, referees, and his rivals.

Mourinho took office in June 2024, but failed to straighten the course of a team that has gone 11 years without winning the Süper Lig (last champion in the 2013/14 season), with last season again behind their eternal rival, Galatasaray.

José Mourinho leaves Fenerbahçe without titles and surrounded by controversy

In addition to the Champions League elimination, the Portuguese coach was the protagonist of several controversies last season, being marked by off-the-field incidents and the lack of official titles.

Among the most notable moments is the aggression against Okan Buruk, Galatasaray's coach, when the Portuguese grabbed the face of the coach after a defeat in the Turkish Cup derby (1-2).

Also remembered is the four-match suspension with a fine for his harsh 'outburst' against Turkish refereeing, an event that occurred against the same rival Galatasaray after a match that ended in a draw (0-0). The Turkish Football Federation considered the coach's statements as "disrespectful and offensive towards the Turkish referee".

The legacy of a winner who did not find his place at Fenerbahçe

The Portuguese coach, winner of two UEFA Champions League (2004 with Porto and 2010 with Inter Milan), and with a record full of titles in England, Italy and Spain, was not able to transfer his competitive gene to the Istanbul team. With this, he consummates another failure after his stormy cycles with Tottenham and Roma.

Perhaps the sports project was still in a very initial phase with only one season of work, now the Turkish team is looking for a substitute to return them to greatness in Turkish and international football, with the main objective of conquering the Turkish Super League again.

In his time in Turkey, José Mourinho managed 62 matches, with a balance of 37 wins, 14 draws and 11 losses. Although his effectiveness was high (67.2%), the team could not beat Galatasaray in the league or cup.

In addition, the fall against Benfica in the last previous round of the Champions League consummated a very hard blow to the financial planning of a club that spent 46 million euros on reinforcements this summer, thinking of competing in the top European club competition.

Now, 'Mou' is rumored as a possible replacement for Rúben Amorim at Manchester United, a club from which he was also sacked at the end of 2018 despite winning two trophies (League Cup and Europa League) in 2017. Since then, his career has gone downhill, beyond the Conference League he won with Roma in 2022.