Two former Premier League stars refuse to play for Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in their final game for the club
TWO departing Fenerbache stars refused to play in the final match of the season - and had to say their goodbyes from the stadium KITCHENS.
Jose Mourinho's side welcomed Konyaspor on Sunday for a dead-rubber match to finish the Super Lig campaign.
Advertisement
2
Jose Mourinho has suffered a tough first season in Turkey
Credit: Getty
2
Edin Dzeko (left) and Dusan Tadic (centre) missed the final game of the season as they feared a fan backlash
Credit: YouTube/Fenerbahce
The Turkish title race has been dominated by Fenerbahce's crosstown rivals Galatasaray.
Mourinho's men have been playing catch-up for most of the season and ended the campaign 11 points behind their Istanbul neighbours.
Neither
Edin Dzeko
and Dusan Tadic
were included in Mourinho's matchday squad for the game against Konyaspor.
Tadic, 36, has since confirmed the pair made themselves unavailable to play in the game.
Advertisement
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
The two former Prem stars were wary of fan unrest as they prepare to leave the club over the summer.
Dzeko, 39, and Tadic were due to receive commemorative plaques to honour their service to the club.
But they had to receive the gongs in the club
KITCHENS
- in a bid to avoid any backlash from the furious Fenerbahce fanbase.
Tadic wrote on social media: "It was a decision we made together with Dzeko not to play in the last match.
Advertisement
Most read in Sport
Live Blog
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
"We didn't want to damage Fenerbahce's image.
"The fans have always supported us. The way we said goodbye is not a problem for me.
Crazy moment Jose Mourinho pinches Galatasaray manager's NOSE before he falls to ground sparking chaos
"I would have preferred it to be in the stadium, but the ambience is not very good at the moment.
Advertisement
"That's why it's better to be that way."
Dzeko, who previously played for
Ex-Southampton winger Tadic joined the club in 2023 and netted 29 times in 109 matches.
Fenerbahce have now won just one trophy since 2014 - a solitary Turkish Cup last season.
Advertisement
Mourinho spent much of the campaign
He was also hit with a three-match ban for
And The Special One was forced to deny accusations of racism after claiming
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Bruno Fernandes' Al-Hilal transfer snub could come back to bite Man Utd as Saudi club's alternative target is revealed
BRUNO FERNANDES' snub of Al-Hilal could come back to bite Manchester United. The club captain rejected an eye-watering three-year tax-free 3 Bruno Fernandes turned down a move to Al-Hilal Credit: Reuters 3 The Saudi club could now move for Victor Osimhen Credit: Getty But his The striker spent last season on loan at Turkish side Galatasaray after falling out with READ MORE ON MAN UTD Al-Hilal could now make a swoop for Osimhen following their rejection by Fernandes. The The club will have more wages available to offer the forward as they do not have to budget for Fernandes. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS The 26-year-old also added 11 goals in the Europa League and Turkish Cup. Meanwhile, it is not confirmed that Fernandes will stay at Old Trafford beyond this summer. Bruno Fernandes enjoys dinner with Al-Hilal 'secret agent' Joao Cancelo as he faces Man Utd exit decision 3 Fernandes is under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2027. Man United chiefs possess an option to extend the deal by a further 12 months. Manager Ruben Amorim has suggested that Fernandes still has a future at the club. He said: "I don't know for sure, nobody knows, but 'He is seeing us taking some actions to change all the things and I think that is all that he wants to stay. 'He's saying 'no' to a lot of things, but it shows that he wants to win. "He's really young, he's really good. He needs to be in the best league in the world.' Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Rachel Graham: Ireland's vulnerability to opposition counter-attacks is 'worrying'
The Republic of Ireland's vulnerability to being picked off on the break is an area that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible, according to former international Rachel Graham. The Girls in Green will round off their UEFA Women's Nations League group campaign against Slovenia this evening at Páirc Uí Chaoimh (live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player) - the same side that thrashed Carla Ward's team 4-0 earlier in the pool phase - and with only a victory by four clear goals or more being enough to finish top and claim automatic promotion to League A. Ireland go into the game off the back of a 2-1 victory over Turkey but the overall performance on Friday left as many questions as answers with the Irish team starting slowly before needing a late rally to turn defeat into victory in Istanbul. Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, Shelbourne midfielder Graham felt Ireland's display highlighted areas of concern against a Turkish side ranked well below the Girls in Green. "Obviously the most important thing was the win and that's what they got so that's the main takeaway from the game but I feel it's kind of the same narrative after every time we win a game where we've got the win but it hasn't been the most convincing or most comfortable win," she said. "And I get these so-called weaker teams have gotten better in the last few years. But we've also got better the last few years and we have players playing at a good level, so I don't think we can keep saying that as an excuse because we are improving too. "Look, I don't think it was all doom and gloom. I think there were some passages of play where we were good and moved the ball really well. But it's always just in passages, it's never for the full 90 minutes or duration of the game, where we let sloppiness creep in and we give the ball away cheaply or we make the wrong decision in the final third. "Even the goals that we got were two pieces of luck. It's an own goal for the first one and then if the centre-half doesn't slip, we don't get the second." But it's the defensive aspect that is more concerning from Graham's point of view with a propensity for Ireland to leak chances particularly when the ball is turned over in attacking areas. "We are conceding a lot of chances to these so-called weaker nations which is a bit worrying," she said. "I think the biggest takeaway, if we don't beat Slovenia by four goals and do go into that play-off, it's how vulnerable we look when we are attacking. "You could see we were trying to win the ball high up the pitch and when it doesn't work out, it's a long ball and we do get caught out with it. "Even our back-line it's not the quickest, so if a ball gets in behind and we're high up, it's a real struggle for us to get back and you saw that in the Turkey game. That's where their goal comes from and when we played Slovenia the last time that seemed to be a problem as well. "Overall it's a win (over Turkey), it's a good win to come back from 1-0 down but I don't know if it's papering over cracks, but there's definitely issues that we need to get right, if not for Slovenia, then for the play-off."
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Carla Ward hoping Páirc power can inspire Girls in Green
The Republic of Ireland need to be almost perfect tomorrow night if they're to beat a strong Slovenia side by four clear goals at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and win their Nations League group, but boss Carla Ward is keeping the faith. Ireland were run ragged when the teams met in Koper back in February, deservedly losing 4-0 to give Ward a serious reality check in what was just her second game at the helm. The Girls in Green have reeled off three wins on the bounce since that loss, and can still top Group 2 to earn promotion back to League A. However they know this will not be easy. "There's so many different permutations," Ward told the media in Cork on Monday. "But, yeah, we've whittled it down. We need to win by four clear goals, which sets it up for an exciting game, an exciting evening. "We know where we need to tidy up. We've got an ambitious group of players, players that constantly want to be better, so those conversations become easy because they answer the questions for you." Slovenia manager Sasa Kolman had Ward's number three months ago. His team destroyed Ireland on the break, and comfortably snuffed out attacks that were too slow, too predictable. Ward bristled when reminded that Kolman had claimed he knew how she'd set her team up and even anticipated the changes she'd make mid-game. "I mean, it's not hard to look at a Carla Ward team over the last eight years and work out how I like to play the game," she said. "It just shows that he's probably had a look at my career, which I can take a little bit of confidence from." The squad is relatively fit and healthy. Lucy Quinn has a bug and is being monitored, while Aoife Mannion is a slight doubt after being withdrawn at half-time against Turkey on Friday. Mannion - so unlucky with injuries over the years - has to manage her work load carfefully. Katie McCabe is most certainly good to go. The indefatigable skipper has enjoyed a remarkable week. Having helped Arsenal to win the Champions League, she arrived into international camp in Istanbul just two days before the Turkish clash and delivered a player-of-the-match performance. Now she's targeting one more big push before heading for a well-earned summer holiday. "That would be nice, wouldn't it? To end the season like that," smiled the 29-year-old. "(The loss in Slovenia) was tough for us to take. We were coming off the back of the Wales defeat. It was our first camp under Carla and the new management. So there was lots of learnings to be took from the game, as bad as it was, and the result obviously reflected that. "I think over the last couple of games we've grown and we've gotten better. We're not where we want to be but it's a process that we have to kind of go through and I know, everyone knows, the calibre of players who've retired as well. That's not easy. It is a little bit of a transition, but it's more opportunity for players to step up and really stake their claim in the team." Ireland have fond memories of Cork. It's almost a year since they swept past France 3-1 on Leeside. Over 18,000 turned up for that one, and while it's unlikely we'll see that attendance tomorrow, McCabe insisted that home support can play a big part. "For us as players that France game will stick with us for a long time," McCabe added. "It was an amazing crowd, a fantastic day and a remarkable result against one of the best teams in the world. I've taken a walk into town over the last day or two and I can feel the support already, when you're walking by shops and pubs on the Bank Holiday weekend and everyone's kind of cheering us on. We feel that support already. "We hope the fans come in in their numbers tomorrow evening and really help us get us over the line." Ward echoed those sentiments as she sent out a rallying cry: "I've heard an awful lot about the crowd here. I've heard an awful lot about the good times that last year of being here. "Look, we'll be ready. We know what we have to do."
