José Mourinho's tenure as coach of Fenerbahce has come to an abrupt end after the club failed to secure a spot in the Champions League. The Portuguese manager's departure was announced on Friday morning, just two days after Fenerbahce's defeat to Benfica in the play-off round.

Fenerbahce's Champions League ambitions were dashed following a 1-0 loss to Benfica in the second leg of their play-off tie. The Turkish club had previously navigated the third round of qualifying, overcoming Feyenoord with a 6-3 aggregate victory. However, they stumbled at the final hurdle, missing out on the lucrative group stage of Europe's premier club competition. Instead, they will now compete in the Europa League this season.

Mourinho's time in charge of Fenerbahce was short-lived, having only taken the reins in June 2024. Despite the high expectations surrounding his appointment, he was unable to deliver Champions League qualification, which appears to have been a key objective for the club.

The club is only six games into the new season, having earned four points from their first two league games.

The news of Mourinho's sacking marks another significant managerial change in Istanbul, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's recent departure from Besiktas. It remains to be seen who will take over at Fenerbahce and attempt to guide the team to success in the Europa League and the Turkish league.