Ali Koç, President of Fenerbahçe Football Club, has recently responded to José Mourinho's remarks.
After Mourinho signed with Benfica, he stated: “I have returned to a team that matches my level.”
In response to this, Ali Koç said: “Terminating the contract with him back then was a difficult decision, but this time, he is truly wrong. To me, Mourinho is like family. He said coming to Fenerbahçe was a mistake, but in my view, that cooperation was a wrong decision for both of us. His words—'I have returned to a team that matches my level'—are really sad to hear. Even so, I will still keep good memories of him.”
“A coach of his caliber degrades himself by saying such things. It is inherently wrong for him to blame the team's elimination on a single player. They didn't let him leave back then, and fate is such an interesting thing—the key factor that finally helped Benfica qualify was precisely Kerem Aktürkoğlu's goal.”
In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Benfica defeated Fenerbahçe 1-0 thanks to Kerem Aktürkoğlu's goal, qualifying for the Champions League group stage. After that, Fenerbahçe terminated its contract with Mourinho. Shortly afterwards, Fenerbahçe Football Club officially announced that it had officially signed Kerem Aktürkoğlu from Benfica.
