Tottenham Hotspur said on Monday that it had fired José Mourinho, the manager it hired as the closest thing European soccer has to a guarantee of trophies, six days before he was to contest his first major final with the club.
Spurs appointed Mourinho in November 2019 in the hope that he would turn the team into serial contenders for honors. He was, as the club’s chairman, Daniel Levy, explained, “one of the most accomplished managers in world football,” and had delivered success at every previous stop in his illustrious career, winning championships at F.