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I’ll Bring Eyes To Turkish Football, Fenerbahce – Says Jose Mourinho
During his first news conference at Fenerbahce, José Mourinho expressed his belief that his arrival and renowned reputation would attract greater visibility to the Turkish league.
He also declared his goal to secure victory in the Super Lig and qualify for the Champions League group stage in the upcoming season.
“One of the things is, I bring attention in with me. More people in Europe will follow the Turkish league,” Mourinho said on Monday. “I’m coming to work for Turkish football, for Turkish Super Lig. But fundamentally I come for Fenerbahce.
“My wish is that Turkish football improves at every level. But if I have to raise my voice to defend Fenerbahce I will not think twice,” he added, in an apparent reference to the club’s complaints over what it calls unfairness.
Incidents of violence and disputes ruined the Super Lig last season, taking the focus away from the close title race between Fenerbahce and fierce rivals Galatasaray.
Having signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahce half a year after his dismissal from Roma, Mourinho refrained from making any title guarantees to the club’s fans. However, he vowed to wear the Fenerbahce shirt with the utmost dedication, likening it to being a part of his skin.
Fenerbahce hasn’t won the title since the 2013-14 campaign, and their last trophy was the Turkish Super Cup in 2014.
“I make zero promises [to the Fenerbahce fans] but [promise] a huge commitment, passion, work, empathy about them,” Mourinho said. “The way to express that is the way we are going to work. This shirt is going to be my skin, it’s an expression that defines my mentality and that I want everyone at the club to have. The main dream is to win the Turkish Super Lig.”
Fenerbahce finished second to Galatasaray in the league this year despite only losing one game, meaning the Istanbul club will need to go through qualifying to book a spot in the Champions League’s newly changed league phase.
Asked how he can convince fans to remain patient, Mourinho said: “By winning. For me, Fenerbahce means ambition. The fans don’t need to be patient, they need to be mad, and they have to be demanding. If the players cannot deal with that pressure they don’t belong at Fenerbahce. I want that passion. I want the players to trust me, and to know that I am very honest, very direct, and sometimes not the nicest guy but always honest with them.”
“I knew the social impact of this club [35 million fans]. The project had an impact on me and now is time for me to have an impact on the project. I’ve had six finals in Europe and won five but we have to go step by step.”
“I shouldn’t be saying this but I wish that our [Fenerbahce] players at Euro 2024 go out early so that they can home, have a rest, and train because we need to prepare for the Champions League qualification.” He stated.
It’s the first time Mourinho will work outside of the top five European leagues since 2004 when he left FC Porto to join Chelsea after winning the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho has also managed Internazionale, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham.
In other leagues, he has often caused a stir in news conferences, and the self-named ‘Special One’ lightened the mood on Monday when he told the media “In 20 years of coaching, this is the longest press conference I’ve ever had.”
Mourinho hopes he can bring something positive to Fenerbahce and Turkish football as a whole.
“Even before I had any connection with Fenerbahce, I was following it [league] quite regularly,” Mourinho said. “As a coach and as a person, I have good things and bad things. One of the good things is that I bring attention with me so more people in Europe will follow the Turkish league. I’m coming to work for the Turkish football, for the Turkish Super Lig, but fundamentally for Fenerbahce.
“My wish is that Turkish football improves. It’s not possible to make changes in a short period. It has to be progressive. For sure we are going to have a strong team to try to fulfill the supporters’ dreams.”
Throughout his coaching career, José Mourinho has accumulated an impressive total of 26 major trophies, which include two Champions League titles and three Premier League victories. He has also been honored as FIFA’s Coach of the Year four times, achieving this accolade with different clubs each time.
“We managed to attract one of the biggest names in world football, the only coach in the world to have won all three European competitions,” Fenerbahce sporting director Mario Branco said. “We know what profiles the coach wants [for the transfer window]. Thanks to our [club] president, we are in a financial position to attack the transfer market how Jose Mourinho requires.”
