Turkey’s Fenerbahce on Friday sacked their Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, two days after the club was eliminated from the Champions League playoffs by Benfica, it said in a statement.
“We are parting ways with Jose Mourinho, manager of our professional A team since the 2024-2025 season,” it said in a statement.
The iconic Mourinho departs just over a year after arriving at the Turkish giants.
Fenerbahce confirmed the news that they had parted ways with their boss in a statement released on Friday morning.
It read: “Our Professional Football First Team’s technical director, Jose Mourinho, who has been carrying out his duties starting from the 2024-2025 season, has parted ways with us.
“We thank him for his efforts for our team until today and wish him success in his future career.”
Mourinho’s side were beaten 1-0 by Benfica on Wednesday night in their Champions League play-off tie.
Also Read: Mourinho gets the boot from AS Roma after two-and-half years in charge
And it meant they missed out on qualifying for the competition.
The former Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham boss is the second high-profile managerial casualty in Turkey over the last 12 hours – after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by Besiktas.
Solskjaer was dismissed less than one hour after Besiktas failed to qualify for the Conference League.
Mourinho, who joined Fenerbahce in June 2024, boasted an impressive record at the club.
In 62 games in the dugout, the Portuguese boss won 37 and only lost 11 in all competitions.
But his side finished second in the Turkish Super Lig last season, sitting 11 points behind champions Galatasaray.
Fenerbahce have started this campaign with a win and a draw in the league but were knocked out of the Champions League this week.
Following a 0-0 draw with Benfica last week in their play-off tie, they were beaten 1-0 away from home on Wednesday.
And that meant that the Turkish side missed out on qualifying for the Champions League this season, dropping down to the Europa League instead.
That was something Mourinho wasn’t too against though, as he said post-match: “In the first half, we tried to dominate possession, but we only managed to do so after the break.
“I don’t like making excuses. The win went to a team that was stronger, had better players, and more experience than us.
“If we had advanced to the Champions League, we probably would have played only eight matches. But in the Europa League, we will compete for the title.”
talkSPORT’s European football expert has discussed Mourinho’s sacking and where his future may now lie.
When asked about the abrupt nature of the exit, Hatchard said: “You do tend to get this with these big European ties, because Champions League qualification would’ve been huge for Fenerbahce.
“They didn’t have a single shot on target against Benfica in Lisbon. Ultimately, I think he’s paid the price, not only for that, but also for being quite far behind Galatasaray in the league.
“Galatasaray have spent big. They’ve brought in Victor Osimhen on a permanent basis. Mourinho’s argument might be Fenerbahce don’t have the squad to compete.
“But since he’s got there, he’s largely moaned about the state of the league, he’s moaned about referees, there’s been a lot of that siege mentality stuff. But we haven’t seen a lot of results.
“They failed in Europe last season as well.”
When pressed on Mourinho’s future, specifically the possibility of Rangers, Hatchard added: “What would appeal to him is the challenge of getting Rangers back where they belong.
“The passion would also appeal to him. Can you imagine him at Ibrox? That would be extraordinary.
“He’s been linked with Saudi Arabia endlessly. He’s said he may do that at some stage.
“Roberto Martinez has done a good job with Portugal, but that debate is always there, the fans love Mourinho.”
Rangers were embarrassed in their Champions League qualifier earlier this week, losing 9-1 on aggregate to Club Brugge.
And it has left fans massively calling for the head of current boss Russell Martin, who has made a nightmare start to his new job.
talkSPORT
