Spanish
Ankara (EFE).- Fenerbahce of Istanbul announced this Friday the dismissal of Portuguese coach José Mourinho, just hours after the team was knocked out of the Champions League after losing (1-0) against Benfica in the last qualifying round.
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"Our time with José Mourinho is coming to an end, who has been the head coach of our first football team since the 2024-2025 season. We thank him for his work with our club until today and wish him success in his future career," the Turkish club indicated in a statement published on its website. Mourinho's stint in Turkey has lasted barely a year, after arriving last summer with the aim of returning Fenerbahce to the top European competition, something he has not been able to achieve.Mourinho's Career
Mourinho has managed some of the best clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Manchester United and has won the Champions League with Porto (2004) and Inter (2010). Mourinho, 62 years old, was appointed coach of Fenerbahçe in June 2024 with a two-season contract and has been dismissed after six matchdays of the new season of the Turkish Super League have already been played.62 matches with Fenerbahçe
During his time at Fenerbahçe, Mourinho managed 62 matches, with a record of 37 wins, 14 draws and 11 losses, achieving an average of 2.02 points per game. According to the Turkish press, even if the Portuguese coach reaches an agreement with another team after his departure, he will still be entitled to receive compensation from the Turkish club estimated at 15 million euros. For now, the exact terms of the termination have not been revealed, and Mourinho himself has not made any public statements about his dismissal.Defeat at the Estadio da Luz
The 1-0 defeat at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon cut short his stay in Turkey, marked, as is usual for the Portuguese, by controversies and confrontations. According to the Turkish sports press, Mourinho's relationship with the club's management had become strained during the summer transfer market, with the former Real Madrid coach criticizing the absence of new arrivals. "If the Champions League was vital for my club, something would have been done in the transfer market," he declared before the second leg against Benfica. "I don't think Fenerbahce has a list of signings," he added.Mourinho's Criticisms
Those words, along with past criticisms of the management and Fenerbahce players, were "the last straw" and led the management to decide "unanimously" on his dismissal, according to the Turkish press. The newspaper 'Hürriyet' reported this Friday that Fenerbahçe's elimination from the Champions League is a hard blow not only in sports, but also economically.Had they qualified, the club would have received almost 19 million euros as a participation bonus, in addition to about 9 million for coefficient and television rights. The loss of those revenues, the newspaper emphasized, forces the entity to consider the sale of players.
Fenerbahce Istanbul finished second in the 2024/25 league, behind Galatasaray, a team with which Mourinho had tough confrontations, accusing the referees of favoring them. In a Cup clash, after his team fell 2-1 to Galatasaray, Mourinho grabbed the nose of the rival coach, Okan Buruk, amid an altercation on the field.
