Fenerbahçe sacked José Mourinho after just one season

The tumultuous tenure of José Mourinho at Fenerbahçe is already over. The Turkish club announced the dismissal of the Portuguese  manager in an official statement on Saturday, thanking him for his service but citing the need for a new direction.

The immediate trigger for the decision was a painful Champions League qualifying playoff defeat to Benfica, mirroring the team’s failure from the previous season.

This European setback, coupled with being consistently outperformed by arch-rivals Galatasaray in the domestic league, proved too much for the board to overlook.

This departure marks another career setback for the former “Special One,” whose storied successes with Porto, Chelsea, and Inter Milan feel increasingly distant.

Now a free agent, a return to his native Portugal appears a strong possibility. Mourinho recently stated his intention to manage there while still “at the top of his career.” That opportunity may have arrived sooner than expected.