Fenerbahçe has officially confirmed in the last few hours that they have severed their contractual relationship with Portuguese coach José Mourinho, who arrived in Istanbul for the 2024-2025 season but who – after just 15 months – has failed to live up to the expectations he created, leaving the Yellow Canaries without a league title or Turkish Cup and out of the Champions League, while the team made headlines in the sports press more for Mourinho’s aggressions and out-of-tone statements than for its results.
The news, published by numerous Turkish media including the public broadcaster TRT, was confirmed in an official statement released by the Istanbul club: “We have said goodbye to José Mourinho, who has been serving as the coach of our professional first division football team since the 2024-2025 season. We thank him for his efforts for our team and wish him success in his future career,” announced Fenerbahçe, who also made headlines yesterday for their interest in bringing in Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid.
Mourinho, 62, obtained 37 wins, 14 draws and 11 defeats in 62 matches played in total in all competitions, including 36 league matches in which he won 26, drew six and lost four, leaving the team second in the Turkish league on the brink of the Süper Lig title, although it was ultimately Galatasaray who was crowned champion for the third year in a row.
The Portuguese coach was presented in Istanbul in June 2024, promising to give his all for Fenerbahçe and to win titles for a club that has not won a league title for more than a decade; his experience in European football also made him a priori the perfect candidate to lead Fener to new milestones in European competitions. However, criticism soon began to mount against Mourinho for a style of play that the team’s fans saw as lacking in grit and also failing to produce results: the team’s inconsistent play was no match for Galatasaray, who remained virtually unbeaten throughout the 2024-2025 season, and Fenerbahçe was even eliminated from the Turkish Cup, which Galatasaray also won.
Fenerbahçe’s recent elimination from the Champions League play-offs following their defeat by Benfica sealed the end of the Turkish side’s European aspirations and also sealed the fate of Mourinho, for whom İsmail Kartal was being touted as a possible replacement back in June. The Portuguese coach’s time in Turkey has not left a good taste; the fact is that the Portuguese coach has made headlines in the local media and press not for the results and titles he promised for Fenerbahçe… But for his frequent off-color statements attacking the referees or even – often – criticising the fans, the club’s board and Turkish football.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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