Ali Koç explained Mourinho's dismissal: the reason was the defensive tactics.

Reasons for José Mourinho's dismissal from Fenerbahçe

According to The Sun: Fenerbahçe President, Ali Koç, finally revealed the reasons for José Mourinho's dismissal.

The 62-year-old coach left his position two weeks ago after his team failed to advance to the Champions League, suffering a defeat to Benfica in the playoffs.

Koç, 58, admitted that issues with attacking play were the reason for his "risky" decision. The Fenerbahçe President expressed dissatisfaction with the team's style of play, especially after discussions with Mourinho about the need to play more actively this season.

“Attacking football was absent last season. We discussed these issues, and I thought we had reached an understanding,”

“When this season started, the performance we observed in the first five official matches mirrored last season's play.”

“Anyone could have been eliminated by Benfica, but the way we played outraged me. That's why it was such a risky and difficult decision.”

“Since we did not see much light at the end of the tunnel regarding the championship, we had to make this tough decision.”

“There were no complaints about his work ethic. He was a workaholic. There are no hard feelings from my side.”

Koç described his parting with Mourinho as “bitter,” as their friendship developed since the coach's arrival in Istanbul in June 2024.

However, the president is confident that Fenerbahçe needs to focus on a more attacking style of play.

“Why did we dismiss Mourinho? I explain it here for the first time. It was a bitter farewell. Our chemistry was perfect, and his achievements are evident. His arrival here was a massive achievement.”

“First of all, it was hard to say goodbye to someone with whom I had a friendly relationship. We knew that our coach was a defensive player when we hired him.”

“But we talked about the need to play more dominantly at the end of the season. Scoring 99 goals and 99 points is our genetic code.”

Mourinho's playing style has faced criticism repeatedly over the years, even when he coached clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham in the Premier League.

It is known that his strategy has been deemed dull and outdated due to its defensive focus, causing dissatisfaction among both fans and sports analysts.