Turkey’s football world shook this week as Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lost their jobs after European exits.
Fenerbahce parted ways with Mourinho following their Champions League play-off defeat to Benfica. The Portuguese coach had joined in summer 2024. Despite finishing second in the Super Lig, he failed to secure silverware.
His team fell 1-0 to Benfica in the second leg, crashing into the Europa League. Kerem Akturkoglu’s first-half strike sealed their fate. Days earlier, vice president Hamdi Akin had boldly predicted victory, a forecast that backfired.
Mourinho, a two-time Champions League winner, resigned soon after.
Besiktas dismissed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer less than an hour after their Conference League elimination by Lausanne. The Norwegian signed an 18-month deal in January 2024. He had guided the club to Europa League qualification last season, finishing fourth in the Super Lig.
But a 2-1 aggregate defeat against Lausanne ended their hopes. A red card for Felix Uduokhai and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji’s goal in stoppage time proved decisive.
The loss meant Besiktas missed a European group stage for the first time since 2022-23. Solskjaer won 15 of 29 matches but failed to convince the board.
With 11 months left on his contract, Solskjaer is now without a club for the first time since his Manchester United exit in 2021.
