Fenerbahce president Alic Koc has confirmed that Jose Mourinho was sacked due to the club's desire for 'better football', insisting the decision was not influenced by their Champions League play-off exit. The Turkish club parted ways with the former Manchester United boss after just one season, during which they failed to win any trophies.
Speaking to Turkish sports outlet Fanatik, Koc described the dismissal as 'painful' but necessary. 'Why did we fire Mourinho? I'll say it for the first time, it was a painful dismissal. Parting ways with someone who is above all a friend was tough,' he said. 'Being eliminated by Benfica wasn't a problem, but the way we were eliminated was unacceptable. This made me feel like last year's football would continue.'
Fenerbahce finished 11 points behind rivals Galatasaray in the Super Lig and were knocked out of the Europa League by Rangers. Despite these results, Koc maintained that hiring Mourinho 'was a huge success' and that 'the chemistry worked'. However, he added: 'We knew our coach would put emphasis on defence when we brought him in, but we talked about the need to play more dominantly at the end of the season. Scoring 99 goals and getting 99 points is our genetic code.'
The club is now seeking a new foreign coach with European experience, having been turned down by former Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti. Koc confirmed: 'Luciano Spalletti was our first choice, but he decided not to work this season. Due to the large number of foreign players in our team, we feel that the coach ought to be someone foreign with European experience. We're in contact with several and will announce our new coach very soon.'
