Jose Mourinho repeats one of his most iconic lines as he blames referee for Fenerbahce crashing out of Champions League in third qualifying round against Lille

Fenerbahce will play Europa League football in the new 2024-25 season after missing out on qualification to the Champions League group stages. Mourinho's men were beaten 3-2 on aggregate over the two legs, with Lille's winner coming from the penalty spot deep into extra-time and just as the game looked to be heading for a shoot-out.

Mourinho took over Fenerbahce in May and was given a hero's welcome by fans after arriving at the Turkish club. However, it's been a tricky start for the former Chelsea boss. He was booked after just 20 minutes of his first league game in charge of Fenerbahce and has now seen his team dumped out of Europe's premier club competition.

Mourinho took defeat to Lille in his usual style. He told reporters after the game: "We can do very well in the Europa League, but if... I prefer not to continue with this sentence. Because if I say it, I will get into trouble."

His comments echo his infamous "I prefer not to speak line" after Aston Villa had beaten his Chelsea team back in 2014 in a game that saw two of his players sent off.

The Fenerbahce boss also took aim at the referee after the loss: "It's better not to talk about the penalty. When I look at other incidents that have happened to me recently. Only the referee knows why it was a penalty, only the VAR knows. I'm proud of my team. This [not wasting time] is the referee's job, he has to respect the game. He has to make the players respect it. I can't criticise the opposing teams. They also try to get a result. If they showed a yellow card in the first 20 minutes, everything would change, but they don't."

Mourinho and Fenerbahce will return to action on Saturday in the Super Lig against Goztepe, aiming to make it two wins from their opening two league matches.