Jose Mourinho explains: Did he get approval from Aziz Yıldırım to sign with Fenerbahçe?

Fenerbahçe's new manager Jose Mourinho, who has signed a 2-year contract, spoke at a press conference held at the club.

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç said the following before Mourinho's remarks:

"I would like to thank the 35 thousand fans who came to the stadium. We gave our coach a tremendous 'Welcome' celebration. I heard our coach and his team say, 'We have never experienced anything like this.' I thank our fans for showing the difference of Fenerbahçe."

"WE ARE NOT SELLING DREAMS"

"We have an election process, and there will be twice as many votes cast as last time. May the result be a win for Fenerbahçe. We are not selling dreams; we are telling the truth. For 6 years, we have not leaked news about any transfer. We announced it after completing the transfer. The same thing happened with Jose Mourinho. Mr. Yıldırım said 'We have an agreement,' but that was not the truth of the matter. Jose Mourinho will make the necessary statement. We are making pinpoint moves; we are faster and more planned. We are sitting at this table together as a result of the contacts Mr. Branco made as part of the new season planning."

Mourinho, in his remarks, stated the following:

"I AM NOW THE MANAGER OF FENERBAHÇE"

"Until today, I have always said 'I am Jose Mourinho.' I am Jose Mourinho. From today on, I will say 'I am the manager of Fenerbahçe.'

If I understood the question correctly, the first person to contact me was Mario Branco. As a result of that, Ali Koç was the first person to contact me. That was what triggered me to come here. There are rumors everywhere I go. I haven't spoken to anyone regarding transfers. I don't want to see names, but projects and stability. We talked about profiles, not just names. We never talked about names. I have no interest in players from my past clubs. I have no interest in any players from Roma. It is not the time to be hasty or emotional."

"I DID NOT GET APPROVAL FROM YILDIRIM!"

Jose Mourinho also stated regarding his transfer process to Fenerbahçe, "I did not get approval from Aziz Yıldırım to sign with Fenerbahçe."

"I WAS THE FIRST TO SPEAK, NOT AZİZ YILDIRIM"

Fenerbahçe Sporting Director Mario Branco stated that he was the first to speak with Mourinho and said the following:

"I apologize to you, it has been two years, but I could not learn Turkish. I earn money to ensure the best for Fenerbahçe. I am here to ensure the best come here. Jose Mourinho is the manager of Fenerbahçe for two years. Let there be no question marks in your minds; I am the first person who spoke with Mourinho for him to come to Turkey. What happened after that does not concern me. The part that concerns me is the project we presented to our coach. The vision our president has for this club. With this vision, we managed to attract the interest of the best manager in football history. The first coach to win three different UEFA organizations in his CV has come to Fenerbahçe. I think you should focus on that. I thank our president and our coach."

When asked, "If Aziz Yıldırım is elected president, will Jose Mourinho's tenure continue?" Mourinho replied, "I am the manager of Fenerbahçe; even if the president changes, I will work for Fenerbahçe."

"THE LEVEL I SEE IS VERY GOOD"

Mourinho continued his words as follows:

"Stability and the project presented to me were very important. Everything is top-level in two days... I went to the facilities; the level I see is very good. I want stability; I am aware of my responsibilities. The coming weeks will not be easy because the players will be at EURO2024. We need to start working in two weeks. The organization within the team was very important. I will give everything for the Fenerbahçe fans. As I said, I signed for the project presented by Ali Koç and Mario Branco."

"I WILL RAISE MY VOICE FOR FENERBAHÇE"

"The Turkish League is broadcast live in Portugal. Two matches are broadcast per week. I was watching the Turkish League before I contacted Fenerbahçe. I have my good and bad sides too. I attract attention wherever I go. More people in Europe will watch this place. I came to work for the Turkish League. But fundamentally, I came for Fenerbahçe. I want the Turkish League to be a better league. If I need to raise my voice for Fenerbahçe, I won't think twice."

COMMENT ON İSMAİL KARTAL

I wish İsmail Kartal success, and I thank him for the team he left behind.

"WE WILL BUILD A VERY GOOD TEAM"

It would not be ethical for me to comment on last year. The ethical thing is to share comments behind closed doors... Both with İsmail Kartal and the players... I am an honest person; I speak to the players' faces. Their thoughts are important. I just arrived; I need time to get to know the team. We will start the new season around June 22-23. It is not possible to change things in a short time. I am different from Coach İsmail; every coach has a different situation. Ali Koç and Branco said they wanted to improve the team. We will build a very good team to realize the dreams of Fenerbahçe fans."

"THERE ARE PLAYERS WE ARE TALKING TO"

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç said the following regarding the championship in the new season:

"When you promise a championship, you don't become a champion. I made this promise: we will build a team that will not need to be promised a championship. After you, we will have a meeting with Jose Mourinho about this issue. We will not make empty promises to steal the hearts of young congress members. If we say 'We will agree, we will bring them,' we do these things. We will not announce an unfinished transfer for 3-5 votes. Let's not win an election like this! I don't think we will make a statement before Saturday. There are players we are talking to; Jose Mourinho hasn't stepped in yet. When he steps in, the attraction will increase even more. Fenerbahçe is now a center of attraction."

"WE MUST BE CHAMPIONS IN MAY"

Mario Branco said regarding the championship, "I want to be champion in May, not in the transfer month. We did a good job in transfers last year. I am a bit biased, but I think our success rate is good. I want to thank our president, our management, and our scouts. I don't believe in revolution in sporting terms. We did a good thing last year; the team did a good job in terms of both performance and statistics. However, we have many points to improve, and we will do that."

"IN THE WAY MOURINHO WANTS..."

Branco continued his words as follows:

"We know the transfer profiles Jose Mourinho wants. We know who the names suitable for the players our coach wants in the market are. We are going through an election period... We are ready to work at full throttle starting next Monday. It will be a tough summer. EURO2024, players going on vacation, early qualifying matches... The Champions League is a big goal. We need to be flexible with our dynamics and approach to the market. I thank the president; I think we can enter the market in the way Jose Mourinho wants."

"OUR MAIN GOAL IS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE"

Mourinho said the following regarding his goals in Europe:

"I promise zero; I can promise commitment to the club, passion, and empathy towards the fans. This jersey is now a part of my skin. I would like everyone at the club to have this mindset. I won't make promises, but our main goal is to win the Süper Lig. We respect the other 3 teams playing for the championship. I played in 6 finals in Europe and won 5 of them, but we must go step by step. The qualifiers will not be easy. It might not be right for me to say this, but I hope our players in EURO2024 are eliminated early and return quickly. Participating in the Europa League might seem more idealistic in terms of success, but our main goal is the Champions League."

Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç explained the reason for Mourinho's preference for Fenerbahçe with these words:

"I asked Jose Mourinho the reason for coming. He said, 'Turkey and Fenerbahçe will add a lot to me.' If I bring championships to Fenerbahçe after years and do good things in the first two tournaments in Europe, people will say, 'He applied his winner character to Fenerbahçe as well.' This will also contribute to my career."

"FENERBAHÇE HAS 35 MILLION FANS"

Regarding his meeting with Mourinho, Branco said, "I sent a very large file to Jose Mourinho. There are so many people helping us in Samandıra in this operation. Sometimes you can focus on the negative side. What we need to focus on is, 'The Special One is at the world's biggest sports club.' I told Jose Mourinho, 'Behind you will not be a team, but a country.' Portugal's population is 10 million, Fenerbahçe has 35 million fans! There are countries in Europe smaller than Fenerbahçe."

"THE PROJECT PRESENTED TO ME IMPRESSED ME"

Mourinho responded to Branco's words as follows:

"The document presented to me is correct; usually, managers make presentations to clubs. This time it was the opposite. I know Fenerbahçe's mass. I played against Fenerbahçe with Manchester United. The project presented to me impressed me. The second part is ambition! Is it ambition to go to the Europa League with a team in the Premier League while my home is in London? Is it ambition to love Italy and achieve success in Europe there? For me, ambition is winning every match. This is the reality of Fenerbahçe. I know the fans' dreams. If I had the chance, I would go to training tomorrow and play the match on the weekend. The interest in me impressed me; now it is time for me to show something."

When asked, "Fenerbahçe fans are impatient; how will you explain to them that they need to be patient on the road to great success?" Mourinho replied, "Those who need to be patient, those who need to be calm are the president, the managers, and the coach. The fans should be crazy and demanding, and create pressure on us. A player who cannot handle the pressure cannot play for Fenerbahçe. I want this passion."

News Source: 12punto