sportbible homepage
sportbible homepage
  • Home
  • Football
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • World Cup
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Manchester United
    • Liverpool
    • Arsenal
    • Real Madrid
    • Barcelona
  • Formula 1
    • Red Bull
    • Ferrari
    • McLaren
    • Mercedes
    • Max Verstappen
    • Lewis Hamilton
    • Lando Norris
    • George Russell
    • Charles Leclerc
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • More Sport
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • Darts
    • Athletics
    • Rugby
    • Wrestling
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Snapchat
TikTok
Threads
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • LADbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Jose Mourinho dropped one of his coldest-ever responses after discovering Fenerbahce’s next Champions League opponents
Home>Football>Football News
Published 11:52 31 Jul 2024 GMT+1

Jose Mourinho dropped one of his coldest-ever responses after discovering Fenerbahce’s next Champions League opponents

Mourinho was on good form following Fenerbahce's win.

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Jose Mourinho gave one of his coldest responses ever when talking about Fenerbahce's next Champions League opponents.

Following his departure from AS Roma in January, Mourinho returned to management earlier this summer when he took charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

The 61-year-old has a sparkling managerial CV including spells at Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Having managed so many elite clubs, Mourinho has rarely experienced European qualifiers.

Advert

He's had to adapt to his new surroundings in Istanbul though, as he looks to guide Fenerbahce through the Champions League qualifiers and into the group/league stage of the competition for the first time since 2008-09.

On Tuesday Fenerbahce booked their place in the third qualifying round with a 2-1 win against Lugano in Istanbul. Mourinho's side won a dramatic first leg 4-3 in Switzerland last week, leaving them with a job to finish at home.

The 6-4 aggregate victory saw Fenerbahce advance to the next round where they will face French side Lille, who did not take part in the second qualifying round.

After the game, Mourinho was in typically bullish mood. When it was put to him by a reporter that Turkish teams tend to struggle against the stronger sides in Europe, the 'Special One' backed his players.

Jose Mourinho has guided Fenerbahce into the next round. [Getty]
Jose Mourinho has guided Fenerbahce into the next round. [Getty]

"Lille had an unlucky draw. They will play with us," he shot back.

"I understand that Turkish teams have difficulties against strong teams in Europe. Turkish teams should have a chance in the draw. However, it was not a good draw for Lille because Fenerbahce will not be easy for them."

He continued: "Tomorrow [Wednesday], after a few hours of sunbathing by the pool, I will start training for Lille with my wonderful team."

Fenerbahce will travel to France for the first leg of the tie on Tuesday, before welcoming Lille to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium a week later.

The winner will advance to the two-legged play-off round, where a place in the league phase of the newly expanded Champions League will be up for grabs.

Featured Image Credit: Exxen

Topics: Lille, Fenerbahce, Europa League, Football, Jose Mourinho

Alex Brotherton
Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

X

@alex_brotherton

Recommended reads

Three England stars disagree on the one player from another nation who England needGetty & SPORTbibleThierry Henry picks player who will surprise everyone at World Cup – ‘There’s a guy people don’t know about...’GettyRonnie O’Sullivan says snooker star can win 'multiple world titles' and gives update on futureGettyVinnie Jones ‘would love’ for rags to riches life story to be made into movie as he talks Netflix documentaryNetflix

Advert

  • Jose Mourinho decides next Real Madrid signing after Bernardo Silva deal agreed
  • Jose Mourinho 'open to selling' two Real Madrid players on one condition
  • Jose Mourinho wants Florentino Perez to raid one of his former clubs for their star player
  • Jorge Mendes gets to work as Jose Mourinho outlines his No.1 target for Real Madrid