Ex-Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho to manage Turkey’s Fenerbahce

TWO-TIME Champions League winner Jose Mourinho has struck a deal to coach the Turkish football team Fenerbahce Futbol AS.

Fenerbahce teased the announcement by inviting supporters to gather at its Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on Sunday (Jun 2), saying “Don’t make plans” in a post published on the social media platform X.

“Saracoglu is waiting for its new coach Jose Mourinho and its great supporters” at 7 pm, according to a subsequent post. In another, Mourinho addresses the team’s fans in a video, saying “Let’s start our journey together.”

Sunday’s ceremony is expected to include a contract signing with the celebrated Portuguese coach, said Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency. 

The club earlier announced in a public filing that it was in talks with Mourinho. The announcement came after Fenerbahce finished second in Turkey’s Super Lig to crosstown rivals Galatasaray. 

Mourinho, 61, is one of the sport’s most recognised managers globally and a former Fifa World Coach of the Year. 

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He was let go by Italian team AS Roma in January, and formerly managed Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, among others.

Fenerbahce shares rose almost 16 per cent last week as news of Mourinho’s possible deal circulated in the Turkish media. BLOOMBERG