Jose Mourinho’s turbulent spell in Turkey has ended abruptly, as Fenerbahçe announced his dismissal on Friday, August 29, 2025, barely eight months after his arrival. The decision came just 24 hours after the Istanbul giants were dumped out of the Champions League qualifiers by Portuguese side Benfica, a failure that proved the final straw for the club’s hierarchy.
The 62-year-old Portuguese tactician, who signed a two-year deal in January, departs after just two official games this season. His tenure had started with great fanfare, with fans in Istanbul hailing the arrival of a coach who has lifted league titles in England, Spain, and Italy, as well as two Champions League trophies. But the excitement quickly faded.
Mourinho guided Fenerbahçe to a second-place finish in the Turkish Super Lig last season, finishing behind city rivals Galatasaray. However, he failed to deliver silverware, crashing out in the quarter-finals of the Turkish Cup and suffering elimination at the hands of Rangers in the Europa League round of 16.
This week’s Champions League heartbreak sealed his fate. Fenerbahçe had targeted a return to Europe’s elite stage after more than a decade, but Benfica’s 3–1 aggregate win exposed flaws in Mourinho’s side, leaving the board with little confidence he could meet their long-term ambitions.
For Mourinho, it is the latest in a series of short-lived spells since leaving Manchester United in 2018. After stints with Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma, his venture into Turkish football was viewed as an opportunity to rebuild his reputation. Instead, it adds to the narrative of a once-celebrated “Special One” struggling to replicate past glories in recent years.
Fenerbahçe are now in search of a new head coach who can steady the ship ahead of the Super Lig season, with reports linking former Shakhtar Donetsk boss Roberto De Zerbi and ex-Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri as potential candidates.
Meanwhile, Mourinho’s future remains uncertain. While offers from Saudi Arabia and the United States have reportedly been on the table, sources close to him suggest he may opt for a sabbatical before deciding his next move.
For fans in Istanbul, the dismissal closes a chapter that promised much but delivered little — a reminder that even the most decorated managers can find Turkish football unforgiving when expectations aren’t met.
