Fenerbahçe in tatters after Athletic loss

ISTANBUL

Fenerbahçe headed into turbulent times after a home loss in the Europa League against Athletic Bilbao on Dec. 11 night added to the club’s wounds and sparked fan protests.

Inaki Williams put the visiting side ahead early with an easy tap-in after Gorka Guruzeta’s assist and added his second at the end of the first half when his angled shot from the right hit the crossbar and bounced into the net.

Fenerbahçe was reduced to 10 men after defender Mert Müldür received his second yellow card in the 69th.

Bilbao moved to the top of the table with 16 points from six games in the league phase of the revamped competition. Fenerbahçe has eight points in 15th place after its second loss of the campaign.

The dismal run on the European stage and a loss at city rival Beşiktaş last weekend left the club six points behind leader Galatasaray after 14 weeks, making Fenerbahçe fans furious.

Thousands of fans in the stands in the Bilbao match chanted for the resignation of club president Ali Koç, while defender Samet Akaydın was replaced at halftime following whistles every time he touched the ball in the first half.

The pressure is also growing on coach Jose Mourinho, whose arrival in the club in June had raised hopes for both reorganization and success.

“I can never criticize the reaction of the fans," the Portuguese coach said after the match when asked about the protests.

“The fans are the foundation of the club,” he added. “The fans are sad, but not sadder than we are. We can be sad, but we have to be balanced. There is a new game on Sunday.”

Mourinho said back-to-back losses put pressure on the team.

"The most important thing in football is results,” he said.

“In a team where you're winning all the time, it might seem like results don't matter, but when you have two defeats in a row, you realize the importance of results. It's a cultural thing in this country, we have to adapt. I am not going to try to change that culture.”

Mourinho believes that his side will be better in the future.

“We are in transition to where we want to be in the future. The next game we play will be at home again, we have to make sure that our fans support us in that match.”

Fenerbahçe still has the chance to advance in the Europa League by winning one of its two remaining games, and the Süper Lig title race has a long way to go, but the fans are impatient having last watched their team lifting the trophy 10 years ago.

In a league mostly dominated by the three major Istanbul clubs, Fenerbahçe supporters are furious to have seen archrival Galatasaray winning the league five times since and Beşiktaş three times.

Club chair Koç has worked with nine different coaches since his election to the post in June 2018, with the club’s only success in his era being the Turkish Cup victory in the 2022-2023 season.

The result of a league game at home against Başakşehir scheduled for Dec. 15 may decide the future of coach Mourinho and chairman Koç.