ISTANBUL: Jose Mourinho was unveiled as the new manager of Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans on Sunday.

Mourinho, 61, has been out of a job since he was sacked by Serie A side AS Roma in January.

The Turkish club held a signing ceremony for Mourinho in Fenerbahce’s Ulker Stadium in Istanbul as thousands of supporters cheered the Portuguese coach’s name and sang songs.

“Normally a coach is loved after victories, in this case I feel that love before victories. And that for me is a big responsibility that I feel and I promise you that from this moment I belong to this family, this shirt is my skin,” Mourinho said in his address to the fans, waving a Fenerbahce jersey.

“Since the moment I met president Ali Koc and understood his ideas and projects, I wanted to play for you, I want to be the coach of all of you... From the moment I signed my contract, your dreams are now my dreams,” Mourinho added.

“I welcome our coach Mourinho on behalf of our fans. He is one of the best coaches of world football history. I’m sure he’ll be the winner coach here, as he had been in other clubs in the past,” club chairman Ali Koc said.

Mourinho will replace Turkish boss Ismail Kartal, who Fenerbahce parted ways with on Friday after only one loss in the league last season.

The team were involved in a tight title race with Galatasaray but six draws proved costly as their Istanbul rivals won the league by three points.

Mourinho, who has won trophies with clubs such as Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, will be tasked with helping Fenerbahce win their first league title since the 2013-14 season.

Details of Mourinho’s contract with Fenerbahce have not been revealed.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2024