Fenerbahçe Sack José Mourinho After Champions League Qualification Failure.
Fenerbahçe have parted ways with manager José Mourinho with immediate effect, following the club’s failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The decision, announced on Thursday, 29 August 2025, comes just days after a 1-0 defeat to Benfica in the second leg of the play-off round, resulting in a 1-0 aggregate loss that relegated the Turkish side to the Europa League.
The Portuguese manager, appointed in June 2024 on a two-year contract with an annual salary of $11 million, was tasked with ending Fenerbahçe’s decade-long Turkish Süper Lig title drought and securing a return to the Champions League, a competition the club last contested in the 2008-09 season. Despite a promising start, including a 5-2 victory over Feyenoord in the third qualifying round, Mourinho’s tenure was marred by successive eliminations, first against Lille and then Benfica. The decisive blow came in Lisbon, where Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s 35th-minute goal sealed Fenerbahçe’s fate, prompting the club’s board to act swiftly.
In a statement, Fenerbahçe expressed gratitude for Mourinho’s efforts: “Our professional football team’s head coach for the 2024-2025 season, José Mourinho, has parted ways with our club. We thank him for his contributions and wish him success in his future career.” The announcement followed a board meeting prompted by growing discontent over the team’s European campaign, despite a strong domestic performance that saw Fenerbahçe finish the previous season with 99 points, albeit three points behind rivals Galatasaray.
Mourinho, a two-time Champions League winner with Porto and Inter Milan, acknowledged the challenges post-match, stating, “Benfica are a stronger and more experienced team. We lost to a better side.” He refrained from attributing the defeat to key setbacks, such as Nelson Semedo’s early injury or Anderson Talisca’s red card, but earlier criticised the club’s transfer policy, noting that no new signings were made between the Feyenoord and Benfica ties despite the importance of Champions League qualification.
The sacking marks the end of Mourinho’s brief stint in Turkey, where he had won over fans with his fiery presence and a notable 1-0 derby victory against Galatasaray. However, the club’s hierarchy, led by president Ali Koç, prioritised European success, and the failure to reach the Champions League group stage—coupled with economic implications for the club—proved decisive. Koç had previously expressed confidence in Mourinho continuing into the next season, but the latest setback shifted the board’s stance.
Fenerbahçe now face the Europa League group stage, with no immediate announcement on Mourinho’s replacement. The club’s next Süper Lig match against Alanyaspor looms on Sunday, as they aim to maintain their domestic momentum. Meanwhile, speculation surrounds Mourinho’s next move, with his storied career—including league titles in England, Spain, Italy, and Portugal—likely to attract interest from clubs across Europe and beyond.
