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.
2
2
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.
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.
"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.
"That's why it's better to be that way."
Dzeko, who previously played for Manchester City, scored 46 goals in 99 games for Fenerbahce.
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.
Mourinho spent much of the campaign warring with the Turkish FA over refereeing standards.
He was also hit with a three-match ban for pinching the nose of Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk in a bad-tempered Istanbul derby.
And The Special One was forced to deny accusations of racism after claiming Galatasaray players were "jumping like monkeys" trying to win a penalty.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Matildas usher in new era after key interim role is filled perfectly by Tom Sermanni
One of the key themes of the past week for the Matildas has been a sense of serendipity. On Friday, Tom Sermanni's 150th fixture in charge of the national team was marked by Kahli Johnson's goal in a 2-0 win over Argentina, as the debutante became the latest in the long line of players whose international journey has started with the veteran coach. On Monday, the final game of Sermanni's tenure was played hours after Joe Montemurro was formally unveiled as the team's next full-time coach. Montemurro watched on from the stands of GIO Stadium as he begun preparations for the first games of his reign later this month. After coaching the Matildas across four separate decades, his final hitout in charge came in the same city where his coaching career began back in the 1980s. As one era ended, a player hoping to play a key role in the next demanded the attention of the incoming boss during the second game against Argentina. In her first start for 549 days, Amy Sayer grabbed a first-half brace to help steer the Matildas towards a 4-1 win in Canberra, before Emily van Egmond and hometown hero Michelle Heyman put the result beyond doubt. With Sermanni's third stint in charge of the Matildas now over, focus now turns to what comes next. As the 70-year-old himself reflected, his three stints in charge have intersected with the major eras of this team, and while he is too self-effacing to acknowledge it, that means stories of the Matildas cannot be told without him. He was there when the modern Matildas program was being established in 1993, and when Australian football made its move to Asia, before laying down a marker of what was to come with a continental crown in 2010. During his latest stint in charge, he was offered a chance to experience a team he had been so instrumental in building, after it had ascended to being something more. The 25,125 fans in Canberra – a record for a women's sporting event in the Australian capital – was testament to this. 'Back in the days when you'd essentially get family and friends to come to games, you dreamt of stuff like this' Sermanni told Paramount. 'It's just a dream come true.' It's this history that made his appointment as an interim such a key one. Not just because he deserved an opportunity to bask in the glow that exists around the side, but also because his willingness to do whatever is in the team's best interests – demonstrated across multiple decades – is indisputable. When he walked back in the door last October, he described the atmosphere that greeted him as being akin to 'turning up at a funeral' following a disastrous Paris Olympics. Combining an existing relationship with much of the squad and an unimpeachable record of service with a humble lack of ambition to make this anything permanent, he filled the temporary role perfectly. Yet, the results against the biggest nations weren't there. And the effects of an extended period of limbo as Football Australia's search for a permanent coach continued were clear to everyone during three games in February. While he did his best to bring through new talent and prepare the side for what was to come, as a caretaker there was a limit to his authority. Outside of the retired Clare Polkinghorne, much of the established squad looks set to still be in place come next year's Asian Cup, and it wasn't Sermanni's place to say otherwise. That is Montemurro's responsibility. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion But Sermanni cannot be blamed for the maladroit hunt for a full-time replacement. Back-to-back losses to Brazil and a winless SheBelieves Cup weren't part of the plan, but neither was him being in an interim role for nearly a year. He came in and did his job in getting the team back on its feet, and then the federation turned around and asked him to keep doing it. He would have been well within his rights to put decision-makers on blast, but doing what was best for the Matildas came first. Starting with Daniela Galic and ending with Isabel Gomez, nine players have made their international debuts during his brief tenure, while others such as Sayer, Holly McNamara, and Clare Wheeler have grown in prominence. Fittingly, Sermanni used one of his final appearances as coach of the Matildas to call for improvements to resourcing and staffing in the A-League Women, attempting to spur even more progress for the game, even after his exit. If some of the recent results have damaged Sermanni's standing in the eyes of a new generation of fans who have rallied around the Matildas, they shouldn't. He has played an irreplaceable role since before many of them were born. And now, with the Montemurro era looming, he can kick back.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Footy legend Nick Riewoldt slams the AFL for being TOO WOKE to take action over the most powerful woman in the game
Footy legend Nick Riewoldt has taken aim at the AFL for not demoting executive general manager of football Laura Kane sooner, labelling them 'social justice warriors'. The AFL announced last week that Kane's AFL football operations role will be split into two roles, with the 34-year-old no longer overseeing key football areas. Kane has become a lightning rod for criticism this season over issues such as the Willie Rioli saga, the standard of umpiring and AFL miscommunication around what happened when Collingwood player Lachie Schultz was concussed in a game against Fremantle. A separate head of football performance role is now being created . Kane will continue to oversee the AFL and AFLW, plus the VFL and VFLW and a newly formed medical and healthcare team that will oversee areas including mental health and concussion. It was confirmed on Monday that Lions chief executive officer Greg Swann will take on the role as the head of football performance. Riewoldt said Swann's arrival is long overdue. 'If the AFL weren't so consumed with being social justice warriors, Laura Kane would have been moved aside 12 months ago,' he said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters on Monday night. 'It is (a win) now. Either the role was too big, or she was the wrong person (for the job).' AFL chief Andrew Dillon insists there's nothing personal in the demotion of Kane. 'It was a big, big role,' Dillon told SEN radio on Friday. 'Decisions affect people but they're not personal. 'It's actually about what's the right thing for the AFL, not just for now, because the AFL's in an incredible position at the moment. ' ... We have now got a structure that actually allows us to continue to be successful for the next three to five years and that was the thinking.' In a separate interview on ABC Radio, Dillon rejected the notion that unconscious gender bias was a factor in Kane's dealings with clubs and subsequent demotion. 'It's not a gender thing,' he said. 'Laura has broken down a lot of barriers. She is an incredibly talented administrator.' Swann, who has been involved in club administration for more than 25 years, will oversee hot issues including the match review system, umpiring and laws of the game. 'I'm leaving to go the AFL to head up footy, I suppose, in the simplest terms,' Swann said when he confirmed his appointment to Lions colleagues. Lions coach Chris Fagan said Swann would be a major boost for the AFL. 'I'm really pleased for Swanny, it will be great for the game,' he said. 'He's one of those composed, calm and experienced people. We're obviously sad to lose him ... but things don't last forever. 'ln this instance, it will be a great win for the AFL. 'He'll help bring another angle to decision making that perhaps hasn't been there in recent times.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Spain v France not a Ballon d'Or decider, says Yamal
June 2 (Reuters) - Spain's Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal has said the Ballon d'Or award won't be decided by performances on Thursday when he and France's Paris St Germain forward Ousmane Dembele take part in the Nations League Final Four. Spain and France meet in Stuttgart for a place in the final, with the winners facing either Germany or Portugal who play in the other semi-final on Wednesday. Yamal and Dembele have been crucial for club and country this season and the prestigious golden ball trophy could end up with one of them in September during the ceremony in Paris. But the Barca striker challenged a journalist who asked whether Thursday's clash would be decisive for the voting. "If you had to give the Ballon d'Or, who would you give it to - the best player of the year or the one who wins on Thursday?" Yamal told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE on Monday. "I'm confident we'll win on Thursday, but whether we win or not, I'd vote for the player of the year because if something happens to me or Dembele on Thursday, who do you vote for? One who plays on Sunday? "I would give it to the best player of the year, and I'd keep it for myself." The competition is tough between the duo, with Dembele winning a Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League treble, while the 17-year-old Yamal won LaLiga, the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. Dembele has scored 35 goals in all competitions for club and country this season, while Yamal has netted 19. The nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or award, which covers August 1-July 31, will be announced at the start of August, with the ceremony taking place on September 22.
