José Mourinho said he “cannot speak” about the refereeing decisions he felt led to Fenerbahçe’s exit from the Champions League.
Mourinho believes his team can go far in the Europa League – which they will now drop into – if refereeing standards improve.
Fenerbahce’s chances of advancing in the Champions League ended on Tuesday with a 118th-minute penalty awarded to opponents Lille for handball following a check by the video assistant referee.
Jonathan David converted the shot to make it 1-1 that night and give Lille a 3-2 aggregate victory in the third qualifying round.
This means that Mourinho’s team will play in the Europa League next season, a trophy he won with Manchester United in 2017, after winning it in the previous edition, such as the UEFA Cup with Porto in 2003.
“We would never win the Champions League. We would never reach the Champions League final. Never,” Mourinho said.
“But we’re going to the Europa League and the Europa League if – if – I don’t want to say the rest. I prefer to stay in the “if”.
Fenerbahçe, who trailed 2-1 in the first leg, took the game into extra time in Istanbul after Bafode Diakite’s injury-time own goal before David’s penalty.
Mourinho added: “If we can make a great Europa League. If, if, if. But we can make a great Europa League with if. I can’t say more than if. If not, I’m in trouble.”
Asked what he meant by “if”, Mourinho referred to the defeat he suffered against his former Roma team in the 2023 Europa League final against Sevilla, in which he furiously confronted referee Anthony Taylor in the car park after the match.
“If you want to know more about the ifs, I invite you to watch Roma vs Sevilla in the 2022-23 Europa League final and you will understand the ifs,” he added.
Mourinho’s choice of words was similar to an interview the Portuguese coach gave during his second spell at Chelsea in 2014.
Speaking after the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in which two Chelsea players were sent off, Mourinho said: “I’d rather not talk. If I talk, I’m in trouble. In trouble. And I don’t want to be in trouble.”
Mourinho was appointed Fenerbahçe coach in June after being fired by Roma in January.
