According to Turkish media, José Mourinho will receive a large payout after being dismissed on Friday as head coach of Fenerbahçe. In recent weeks, relations with the board had already been under great strain. Following the elimination from the Champions League, the situation exploded.
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According to Turkish media, José Mourinho will receive a significant payout after being dismissed on Friday as head coach of Fenerbahçe, bringing to an end a turbulent chapter that had begun with great hope but collapsed under the weight of unfulfilled expectations.
His sacking, which came less than 48 hours after the club’s painful elimination from the Champions League playoff round, underlined how fragile the relationship between Mourinho and the Fenerbahçe hierarchy had become in recent months.
The turning point was the defeat to Benfica in Lisbon on 27 August 2025, when a 1-0 loss sealed Fenerbahçe’s exit from Europe’s most lucrative competition. For a club that has been desperately trying to return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2008/09 season, the disappointment was enormous. Beyond the sporting frustration, the financial consequences of missing out on Champions League football are devastating. Experts estimate that qualification could have been worth up to 30–40 million euros in revenue, money that would have helped balance the club’s already fragile accounts.
Mourinho had long warned that the squad was not strong enough to compete at the highest level. During the third qualifying round against Feyenoord, he repeatedly reminded the board and the public that reinforcements were urgently needed. At that stage, the arrivals of Milan Škriniar and Nélson Semedo gave the team enough solidity to overcome the Dutch side, but Mourinho continued to insist that more signings were crucial if Fenerbahçe wanted to match Benfica’s quality. His warnings went unheeded in full.
President Ali Koç and his board did spend heavily, securing Colombian striker Jhon Durán on loan and paying a total of 46 million euros for new players such as Dorgeles Nene, Sofyan Amrabat and Archie Brown. Just before the decisive playoff, Mexican midfielder Edson Álvarez also joined the club. However, his late arrival meant he could not feature against Benfica, a fact Mourinho reportedly highlighted in private as an example of poor planning. The coach felt that the club’s transfer policy was reactive rather than proactive, and that he was being left to face crucial European games with an incomplete squad.
Despite these frustrations, Mourinho surprised many with his relatively calm comments after the loss in Lisbon. He did not launch into his trademark fiery outbursts, but instead maintained a measured tone. However, the tension had already been simmering for months, and insiders in Istanbul suggested that his fate had been sealed well before the Benfica defeat. The Champions League elimination merely accelerated a decision that was already under consideration.
The dismissal cost Fenerbahçe dearly. Turkish sports dailies report that Mourinho is set to receive a severance package of around 15 million euros. This adds to an astonishing personal record: according to the outlet Sporx, The Special One has now earned approximately 115 million euros in compensation over the course of his career. At clubs like Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, those payouts came after successful spells filled with silverware. But at Fenerbahçe, as at Tottenham Hotspur before, Mourinho departs empty-handed, leaving fans wondering what exactly their club gained from his expensive tenure.
The cracks had been visible even last season. Fenerbahçe endured a trophyless campaign, finishing far behind champions Galatasaray, their fiercest rivals. Mourinho himself was suspended after a heated altercation with Gala coach Okan Buruk during a fiery derby, an incident that highlighted both his combative nature and the rising tension within Turkish football’s most intense rivalry. Supporters had hoped his charisma and experience would tilt the balance of power back in their favour, but instead the team fell short in every competition, leaving the fanbase frustrated and divided.
Mourinho’s departure also raises questions about the club’s long-term strategy. The decision to appoint him had been seen as a bold statement: a club that wanted to project ambition and global relevance, hiring one of the most famous managers in the world. Yet now, just over a year later, Fenerbahçe finds itself with no trophies, no Champions League revenue, and an expensive bill to pay for another high-profile failure. Critics argue that the club is repeating a cycle: chasing big names instead of building a sustainable sporting project.
For Mourinho, the dismissal is another chapter in a career increasingly defined by short stints and abrupt endings. Once considered the ultimate winner, he has now left two clubs in a row Tottenham and Fenerbahçe without adding to his trophy cabinet. His reputation as a master tactician remains, but questions are growing about whether his confrontational style and high demands are still compatible with modern football management.
For Fenerbahçe, the task is now to rebuild quickly. The fanbase, one of the most passionate in Europe, is demanding stability, trophies, and above all a clear vision for the future. Whoever succeeds Mourinho will inherit a squad with some quality additions but also significant pressure to deliver immediate results. Failure to do so will only deepen the frustration of a club that has not won the Turkish Super Lig since 2014.
In the end, Mourinho’s time in Istanbul will be remembered less for tactical brilliance or iconic victories, and more for unmet expectations, controversy, and financial strain. What was meant to be a new dawn for Fenerbahçe has instead left the club with an expensive lesson: big names do not always guarantee big success.
