Fenerbahce coach José Mourinho has denied reports suggesting he has held talks with the Portuguese Football Federation to become the national team coach of Portugal.
According to reports from Turkey, it was speculated that Mourinho would leave Fenerbahce at the end of the season to replace Roberto Martínez as Portugal’s coach after the UEFA Nations League finals in June.
Mourinho, who signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahce last summer, has not confirmed whether he will continue in Turkey next season, but stated on Sunday:
Yes, I can deny that I have had any meeting with the Portuguese Football Federation. I am a loyal person.
José Mourinho
He added that the only time he had direct contact with a club, he informed Fenerbahce. It was in January, and although he had a meeting, he did not accept the offer, but informed his club even before the meeting.
Fenerbahce president Ali Koç recently revealed that Mourinho received an offer of 36 million euros during the season to leave Fenerbahce, but he rejected it.
Meanwhile, Mourinho criticized Galatasaray, their city rivals, who won their third consecutive Super Lig title on Sunday with two games to spare.
Galatasaray defeated Kayserispor 3-0 to maintain their eight-point lead over Fenerbahce.
Mourinho considered that it was not appropriate for Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to take and convert a penalty to start the title celebrations.
Mourinho commented:
Regarding the way Galatasaray celebrates the title, I think that when you celebrate something gray, it shows your human dimension. They celebrate the title with an episode that reflects exactly what they are, which is when they are winning 2-0 and then goalkeeper Muslera misses a penalty in the 90th minute. I think that is a perfect image of what they are.
José Mourinho
Mourinho has been very critical of the level of Turkish refereeing throughout the season and stated that Galatasaray received special treatment from the referees.
The former Chelsea coach said:
In the field, we didn’t lose the title. We were not successful, but it’s a competition where if you finish second, you know you’re the champion of the second league because there’s a league and then there’s another one. But no, I’m not happy, I could do better, we could do better, so obviously I’m not happy.
José Mourinho
Fenerbahce won 2-1 against Eyüpspor on Sunday and has already guaranteed second place.
