Jose Mourinho believes his move to Fenerbahce will draw more attention to the Turkish Super Lig.
On Sunday, the 61-year-old was announced as Fenerbahce's new head coach on a two-year deal, his first job since being dismissed by Roma in January.
Turkey is the fifth different nation in which Mourinho has managed, having previously enjoyed stints at Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham, winning a combined total of eight domestic titles and two Champions Leagues.
Speaking at his first Fenerbahce press conference, Mourinho admitted he expected more people to pay attention to the club now he is in charge.
"One of the things is, I bring attention in with me. More people in Europe will follow the Turkish league," he said.
"I'm coming to work for Turkish football, for Turkish Super Lig. But fundamentally I come for Fenerbahce.
"When people look at me -- I did six finals, I won five of them -- people think immediately big, but I think we have to go step by step."
Fenerbahce finished runners-up in the Turkish Super Lig last season on 99, behind Galatasaray, extending their 10-year wait for a top-flight trophy.
Mourinho has won silverware at all but one of his clubs, only failing to get his hands on a trophy at Spurs.
The Portuguese icon has urged the Fenerbahce fans to push the side to end that wait for a league title.
"I make zero promises [to the Fenerbahce fans] but [promise] a huge commitment, passion, work, empathy in relation to them," he added.
"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.
"For me, Fenerbahce means ambition.
"The fans don't need to be patient, they need to be mad, 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, to know that I am very honest, very direct, sometimes not the nicest guy, but always honest with them."
Jose Mourinho promised Fenerbahce supporters "your dreams are now my dreams" upon his unveiling as the club's new head coach.
The 61-year-old is back in management five months after his departure from Roma, after reportedly putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Istanbul giants.
The club teased Mourinho's arrival in the wake of Ismail Kartal’s departure on Friday, with the two-time Champions League winner believed to have verbally agreed to take over on the same day.
Turkey is the fifth different nation in which the Portuguese icon has managed, having also previously enjoyed stints at Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham.
A domestic title winner in four different countries, Mourinho will now look to follow suit by guiding Fenerbahce to a first Turkish Super Lig triumph in 10 years.
"I want to thank you for your love, the love that I felt from the first moment where my name was first connected with Fenerbahce," he told thousands of supporters who gathered at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to welcome him.
"Normally, a coach is loved after victories. In this case, I feel that I am loved before victories. That, for me, is a big responsibility that I feel. I promise you that from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin.
"Football is a passion and there is no better place to feel that passion. Since the moment I met with [club president] Ali Koc, I wanted to play for you because, in the end, you are the soul of the football club.
"I want to work for Turkish football, I want to work for the Turkish league. I want to help to improve [it] but the most important thing for me is not Turkish football, it's not the Turkish league, it's Fenerbahce.
"To finish, I want to say that from the moment I signed my contract, your dreams are now my dreams."
Jose Mourinho has been confirmed as the new head coach of Fenerbahce.
The Istanbul giants teased Mourinho's arrival in the wake of Ismail Kartal’s departure, and he has reportedly penned a two-year deal with the club.
Kartal took charge of Fenerbahce for three spells, finishing second behind Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig last season with 99 points in his final stint.
Reports said Mourinho had verbally agreed to take over on Friday, before the club confirmed his unveiling will take place on Sunday.
Mourinho has been out of work since leaving Roma in January after a two-and-a-half-year spell at the club in which he led them to their first European trophy, winning the Europa Conference League in 2022, while also taking them to the Europa League final the following year.
The 61-year-old had previously enjoyed stints at Porto, Chelsea over two spells, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham.
During that course, he won a combined eight domestic titles and two Champions Leagues, only failing to lift silverware while at Tottenham.
Mourinho is now tasked with ending Fenerbahce’s 10-year wait for a Super Lig title.
Former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca has been handed a permanent ban by the Turkish Football Federation for punching referee Halil Umut Meler.
Meler was approached and hit in the face by Koca following Monday night’s Super Lig match between Ankaragucu and Caykur Rizespor.
Koca was subsequently arrested and the TFF, in announcing a host of disciplinary measures on its official website on Thursday night, said the 59-year-old has been banned in response to the incident, which has made headlines across the world.
Meler had sent off one player from each side before Rizespor equalised in the seventh minute of injury time to force a 1-1 draw, with Koca running onto the pitch after the game before hitting the referee, who was then kicked by another person while on the ground.
Meler left hospital on Wednesday after being treated for injuries, including a small fracture under his eye.
The country’s justice minister, Yilmaz Tunc, said on his X account on Tuesday that Koca had been arrested “for injuring and threatening a public servant due to his public duty”. Koca later announced his resignation as president via the Ankaragucu website.
Matches across all of Turkey’s leagues were suspended following the assault and it has since been confirmed by the TFF – which has also fined Ankaragucu £54,000 and ordered them to play five games behind closed doors among a number of sanctions following the incident – that they will resume next Tuesday.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the attack on Thursday, telling Sky Sports News: “Enough is enough and this has to stop. I was shocked when I saw the images like everyone else.
“You can be excited at a match and you can feel for a team but there is no way we can accept anything like that to happen.”
Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler has left hospital after being treated for injuries suffered in an attack at the end of a Super Lig game on Monday.
Meler, who received a small fracture under his eye when hit by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca after his club’s match against Caykur Rizespor, was pictured leaving the Acibadem hospital in Ankara.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF), which suspended domestic football in the country indefinitely in the wake of the incident, will hold a board meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the events.
Turkey’s justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said on his X account on Tuesday that Koca had been arrested “for injuring and threatening a public servant due to his public duty”.
Koca later announced his resignation as president via Ankaragucu’s official website.
Meler was visited in hospital on Tuesday by TFF president Mehmet Buyukeksi and interior minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Buyukeksi said in quotes reported on the TFF’s X account: “This sad event should definitely not be forgotten. This should be a milestone.
“We will provide detailed information after tomorrow’s board meeting. In this meeting, we will discuss all the issues clearly. We will give detailed information about the decisions we will make about how the league will continue.
“Let’s underline again – we strongly condemn the incident on behalf of the Turkish Football Federation board of directors and myself. This incident happened, but we cannot accept it being back to its old state in two weeks.”
In October Turkey was awarded joint hosting rights for Euro 2032 alongside Italy.
Buyukeksi said he had already received assurances from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin that Monday’s incident had not jeopardised that project.
FIFA and UEFA have both condemned the attack on Meler, who was in charge of West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar last season.
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Meler on the telephone.
Koca announced on Tuesday afternoon he had quit in “order to prevent any further harm to the Ankaragucu club, Ankaragucu fans, the community I am in and my family”.
He added: “I hope that this incident, which I, more than anyone else, cannot accept, will be a reason for our sports life, especially our football community, to be purified from mistakes, shortcomings and the culture of violence.
“At the same time, I hope that the structural problems of Turkish football will be discussed more realistically due to this grave incident that I caused.”
A Turkish club president who attacked a referee has been arrested.
Referee Halil Umut Meler was approached and hit by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca at the end of the Turkish Super Lig match against Caykur Rizespor.
Meler was taken to hospital after the attack, with the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspending domestic football in the country indefinitely in the wake of the incident.
The country’s justice minister, Yilmaz Tunc, said on his X account on Tuesday that Koca had been arrested “for injuring and threatening a public servant due to his public duty”.
Meler was visited in hospital in Ankara on Tuesday by TFF president Mehmet Buyukeksi and interior minister Ali Yerlikaya. Buyukeksi said Meler was likely to be discharged on Wednesday.
“This sad event should definitely not be forgotten,” Buyukeksi said in quotes reported on the TFF’s X account.
“This should be a milestone. Today we will have important meetings. With our minister of youth and sports, with our minister of internal affairs, our minister of justice and our board of directors.
“We will provide detailed information after tomorrow’s board meeting. In this meeting, we will discuss all the issues clearly. We will give detailed information about the decisions we will make about how the league will continue.
“Let’s underline again – we strongly condemn the incident on behalf of the Turkish Football Federation board of directors and myself. This incident happened, but we cannot accept it being back to its old state in two weeks.”
In October Turkey was awarded joint hosting rights for Euro 2032 alongside Italy.
Buyukeksi said he had already received assurances from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin that Monday’s incident had not jeopardised that project.
“There is no negativity. President Ceferin called and said ‘We are with you, we are ready to do whatever is necessary’,” Buyukeksi added.
“Please let us not misinform the public. Our goal is to ensure that football is played properly in Turkey and to continue as quickly as possible without any problems.
“But right now, our referee is important, the mental health of our referees is important. Other issues are not important. That is why we are here. We will make the necessary statements later.”
Meler has refereed in UEFA club competitions, and was in charge of West Ham’s Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar last season.
UEFA’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti condemned the attack and added: “Violence and abuse against referees have no place in football and must stop immediately.
“We urge the authorities and the responsible disciplinary bodies to take decisive and necessary action against anyone involved in acts of abuse and violence against referees.
“Such unacceptable and distressing behaviour is detrimental to the efforts of national associations to recruit referees, which are essential for the running of the game.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the attack on Meler was “totally unacceptable”, adding: “Without match officials there is no football. Referees, players, fans and staff have to be safe and secure to enjoy the game, and I call on the relevant authorities to ensure that this is strictly implemented and respected at all levels.”
Jonjo Shelvey channelled his inner David Beckham and Harry Kane by scoring a wonder goal from his own half for Turkish side Rizespor.
The 31-year-old sent a pinpoint shot from the centre circle in his own half over goalkeeper David Jensen to put his side 1-0 up in the fifth minute against Istanbulspor.
It was his first goal for the Super Lig club following his move from Nottingham Forest in September and was a similar strike to the one Kane scored for Bayern Munich against Darmstadt.
Shelvey was only at the City Ground for eight months after joining from Newcastle last January, but fell out of favour after throwing a tantrum when he was left out of Forest’s trip to Liverpool in April.
Rizespor are currently midtable in the Super Lig after an inconsistent start to the season.
Christian Atsu has been pulled from the rubble of a building "with injuries" after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
There was concern for the Hatayspor winger when reports emerged search and rescue teams were still looking for him, as well as the club's sporting director Taner Savut, after the tremors.
The earthquakes are estimated to have killed more than 5,000 people, with Hatay one of the most affected areas due to its close proximity to the epicentre.
But Hatayspor's vice-president Mustafa Ozat released positive news that Atsu, who made 107 league appearances for Newcastle United between 2016 and 2020, was alive when pulled from a collapsed building, though Savut remains in the rubble.
"Christian Atsu was removed from the wreckage with injuries," Ozat told Radyo Gol. "Unfortunately, our sporting director Taner Savut is still under the rubble.
"Hatay was deeply affected. We are coming towards the end of the most dangerous hours."
The Ghana Football Association tweeted: "We've received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment.
"Let's continue to pray for Christian."
There is concern for Hatayspor winger Christian Atsu following devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The tremors have killed more than 2,000 people, and reports suggest search and rescue teams are still looking for Atsu, along with his club's sporting director Taner Savut.
Atsu, 31, scored a stoppage-time winner for Hatayspor in Sunday's Super Lig game against Kasimpasa.
The Ghana Football Association was seeking to make contact with Hatayspor as news was awaited on the player's wellbeing.
"We pray for Ghana international Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria," a Twitter post said.
"We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hatayspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Christian Atsu and our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria. We remain hopeful for positive news."
Newcastle United, who Atsu represented for five years, playing 121 times, posted: "Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20."
Several leading players have shared their support for those affected in Turkey and Syria.
Fenerbahce have vowed to aid in the disaster relief efforts after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 1,200 people in Turkey and Syria on Monday.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the earthquake – which struck around 04:00 local time, with the epicentre located in the southern Kahramanmaras province – has resulted in 912 deaths in Turkey alone, while Syria's state news agency put the toll there at 320.
Erdogan also put the wounded total at 5,383 but both figures continue to rise, with the Kandilli observatory and earthquake research centre recording over 100 aftershocks.
"About 53 of them over four [on the Richter scale]," Dr Haluk Ozener is quoted as saying by the BBC.
Adana and Gaziantep – the latter being only 20 miles from the epicentre – are among the major cities hit by the quake, which was also felt as far away as Cyprus.
Istanbul-based Fener, one of Turkey's biggest football clubs, are in talks to help in the relief effort as they look to mobilise their members, who they say form the biggest organisation of its kind in the country.
"We are with our country. Our club has started work for the earthquake," read a statement on social media.
"Our club is getting ready to take steps after the earthquake disaster, which was felt in many cities, especially in Kahramanmaras, including in Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Sanlıurfa, and left the whole of Turkey with sadness.
"As Turkey's largest 'civil society organisation', Fenerbahce Sports Club, which has stood by its country and its citizens, has immediately started to work to take the most beneficial steps in the face of today's national disaster.
"We state that we will stand by our citizens in disaster areas with the action plan we will determine as a result of the negotiations."
Fellow Turkish giants Galatasaray published a list of required items and asked for donations to be handed in at the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex, with sleeping bags, thermal blankets and baby food among the requested articles.
Free agent Isco is in talks with Konyaspor after failing to complete a move to Union Berlin, the Turkish club's vice-president Mehmet Akcan has revealed.
Isco, who was released by Sevilla in December after just four months at the club, looked set for a new challenge in Berlin when he reportedly completed a medical with Union.
However, the 30-year-old's move to the Bundesliga side collapsed on Tuesday over personal terms, with both parties blaming the other.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Isco may now have found another club, though, as discussions are ongoing with Super Lig side Konyaspor.
"That is correct. We are in a negotiating process with Isco," Akcan is quoted as saying by Spanish outlet AS.
"I can tell you that dialogues are going well. We are not yet sure if we have reached an agreement, otherwise we'd say so openly.
"We're doing everything possible to close the signing. We have until January 8, but I think everything will be resolved one way or another as soon as possible.
"Now we have the chance to close the signing and are positive of doing so."
Isco began his career with spells at Valencia and Malaga before spending nine years with Madrid, whom he left at the end of last season for a short stint with Sevilla.
He made 19 appearances for Sevilla in the first half of the season, scoring once and providing three assists, but his contract was mutually terminated six weeks ago.
Serie A heavyweights Juventus and Napoli were previously linked with the 38-cap Spain international, while Konyaspor's league rivals Fenerbahce are also reportedly interested.
Konyaspor are eighth in the Turkish top-flight, 13 points adrift of the European places.
Isco's former Sevilla team-mate Adnan Januzaj as also secured a move to Turkey.
The winger, who signed for the club on a free transfer in August, has joined Istanbul Basaksehir on loan until the end of the season after making just six appearances across all competitions.
Dele Alli opened his Besiktas account in a 3-2 Super Lig win over Ankaragucu on Sunday, ending the former Tottenham midfielder's 13-month wait for a competitive goal.
Alli left Spurs to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with Everton in January, but he only made one Premier League start for the Toffees before heading to Turkey on loan last month.
Having made his Besiktas bow against Sivasspor last week, Alli got on the scoresheet on his second appearance, firing Valerien Ismael's men into a 2-1 first-half lead.
The 26-year-old raced onto a knock-down from Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst to side-foot home after 35 minutes, scoring his first league goal since he converted a penalty in Tottenham's 1-0 win at Wolves in August 2021.
Alli's goal came from his first attempt in the match, while Weghorst has now recorded a league-high four assists this season – each of them for a different player (Alli, Jackson Muleka, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Rachid Ghezzal).
Alli scored 51 goals in 181 Premier League appearances for Spurs, although over half of that tally (28) came in his first two seasons (10 in 2015-16, 18 in 2016-17). His last open-play goal in the English top flight came in January 2020.
Mario Balotelli finished the Turkish Super Lig season in stunning fashion with the first five-goal haul in Adana Demirspor's top-flight history.
Ninth in the table heading into Sunday, Balotelli's ADS had little to play for against already-relegated Goztepe but put on a show.
Vincenzo Montella's side ran out 7-0 winners, with Balotelli hitting five to finish the season on 18 league goals – behind only Kasimpasa's Umut Bozok (20).
The Italy international's outstanding display represented a club first, while Alex in May 2011 had been the last Super Lig player to net five in a match, for Fenerbahce against Ankaragucu.
This was Balotelli's first hat-trick since scoring three for Manchester City against Aston Villa in December 2010, making him the first foreign player to hit a treble for ADS.
As if these achievements were not enough, Balotelli's fifth goal was an outrageous effort perhaps set to be considered for the FIFA Puskas Award.
Seven step-overs tied Atakan Cankaya – who had earlier scored an own goal – in knots, finally working space seemingly for a left-footed shot before the striker executed a sublime right-footed rabona finish across the goalkeeper and into the bottom-right corner.
"Five goals for me today," Balotelli posted on Instagram. "There was no better way to finish the championship! Thank you to everyone."
Mesut Ozil has offered his first public reaction to being cut adrift of the Fenerbahce first team.
Former Real Madrid and Arsenal playmaker Ozil has been dropped from the senior squad with immediate effect, the Turkish giants announced on Thursday.
Fenerbahce did not explain the reason behind the decision to sideline Ozil, with the same fate befalling Turkey midfielder Ozan Tufan.
Reports in Turkey have claimed the decisions followed disputes involving the players and coach Ismail Kartal, and that neither will train with the first team.
It is unclear at this stage whether there is any way back at the club for either player.
Ozil posted a message on social media on Friday that translated as "The main thing is Fenerbahce", accompanied by the club flag and Turkey's national flag.
German star Ozil was substituted at half-time in Fenerbahce's game against Konyaspor on Sunday, with the team trailing 1-0 at that stage. They recovered to win 2-1, with Tufan entering the game late on as a substitute.
Kartal praised the squad after the Konyaspor game and announced all of his players, aside from those going away on international duty, could have a three-day break.
Fenerbahce signed Ozil from Arsenal in January 2021 after he fell out of favour with the Premier League club. Tufan spent the first half of this season at Watford.
The signing of Ozil was considered a major coup for the Istanbul giants.
Fenerbahce sit third in the Turkish Super Lig this season, two points behind Konyaspor but 17 adrift of runaway leaders Trabzonspor.
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