Two-time Champions League winner Jose Mourinho has left Turkish side Fenerbahce following the club’s failure to qualify for the league phase of the elite European competition.
Fenerbahce announced the 62-year-old’s exit in a brief social media statement thanking the Portuguese for a tenure lasting less than 15 months.
The Super Lig club will pay Mourinho a severance package of around £13 million, according to Turkish outlet Fanatik.
Fenerbahce went out of the Champions League in the play-offs on Wednesday, losing 1-0 at Benfica to suffer an aggregate defeat by the same scoreline.
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Why did Fenerbahce sack Jose Mourinho?
After finishing 11 points behind champions Galatasaray in second in Mourinho’s first campaign in Turkiye, Fenerbahce started this season with a 0-0 draw at Goztepe, who won promotion in 2023/24 and came eighth last season.
They overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit to beat Feyenoord in their first Champions League qualifying tie courtesy of a 5-2 win at home, but the timing of Mourinho’s departure suggests their defeat to Benfica in the next round decided his fate.
Turkiye winger Kerem Akturkoglu, who joined the Portuguese side from Galatasaray in 2024, scored the decisive goal in the 35th minute of the return leg, consigning Fenerbahce to Friday’s Europa League draw.
In between their contests with Benfica, Fenerbahce secured their first league win of the season by beating Kocaelispor 3-1 at home, although the promoted visitors had lost their first two games without scoring.
Jose Mourinho stats, Fenerbahce record
A 118th-minute second-leg goal by visitors Lille knocked Fenerbahce out of Champions League qualifying in Mourinho’s first season and they were the last team to qualify for the Europa League knockout phase play-offs, advancing on goal difference in 18th after winning two of their eight league phase matches.
A 5-2 win over Andelecht took them to the last 16 but a 3-1 home defeat to Rangers then proved costly as they were knocked out at Ibrox on penalties following a 2-0 away win.
Fenerbahce were unbeaten in their first five league matches under Mourinho but then lost 3-1 to Galatasaray in front of their largest home crowd of the season of more than 44,000 fans.
Galatasaray also knocked Fenerbahce out of the Turkish Cup as the visiting side in a quarter-final featuring two red cards on either side during added time.
Mourinho frequently criticised refereeing in Turkiye and received a four-match ban – later reduced to two games – for remarks about referees after a 0-0 draw at Galatasaray on February 24.
In a separate incident, Galatasaray said they would “initiate criminal proceedings” against Mourinho and accused him of making “racist statements”.
He denied the allegations, describing himself as the “opposite” of racist and filing a lawsuit against the club seeking damages worth around £41,000.
Jose Mourinho contract
Mourinho signed a two-year deal at Fenerbahce worth more than £8m a year, according to ESPN at the time.
Club president Ali Y Koc called Mourinho a living legend and one of the five best managers alive when he arrived and said they set their first goal was to become Turkish champions.
“I want to thank you all for your love,” Mourinho responded. “I’ve felt it since the first time my name was linked with Fenerbahce.”
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