Fenerbahçe have parted ways with José Mourinho just six games into the new season after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.
The Turkish side defeated Feyenoord 6-3 on aggregate in the third qualifying round but were beaten 1-0 by Benfica in the play-off, missing out on a place in Europe’s elite competition.
“Our Professional Football First Team’s technical director, José Mourinho, who has been carrying out his duties since the 2024/25 season, has parted ways with us,” the club said in a statement on Thursday.
“We thank him for his efforts for our team until today and wish him success in his future career.”
Mourinho’s exit follows growing tensions with the Fenerbahçe hierarchy over transfer activity. Earlier this month, he criticised the club for not strengthening the squad between the Feyenoord and Benfica ties.
“If the Champions League were vital to my club, something would have been done in the transfer window between Feyenoord and Benfica,” he said. “I don’t think Fenerbahçe has a transfer list.”
Turkish media reports, however, suggested the board blamed Mourinho himself for failing to submit transfer targets.
The 62-year-old joined Fenerbahçe in July 2024 after leaving AS Roma and was welcomed by thousands of fans in Istanbul. Expectations were high that he would end Galatasaray’s domestic dominance and deliver the club’s first league title since 2013.
Instead, Mourinho guided them to a second-place finish last season, alongside exits in the Turkish Cup quarter-finals and Europa League round of 16. Their mixed start to the new campaign and early European exit, coupled with his strained relationship with the board, ultimately cost him his job.
The decision comes just a day after Fenerbahçe’s rivals, Beşiktaş, dismissed another former Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
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