Fenerbahçe part company with Ismail Kartal after Roma stalemate | OneFootball

Fenerbahçe have officially parted company with Ismail Kartal on Friday, hours after he resigned following a 1-1 Champions League draw with AS Roma. According to Turkish-Football.com, the move ends the 65-year-old’s fourth spell in charge.

At the post-match press conference after the opener at the Chobani Stadyumu FB Şükrü Saracoğlu, Kartal announced on live television that he was stepping down immediately. He said he was clearing the way for the club, would not return, and thanked supporters, media, staff and players.

Club president Aziz Yıldırım initially tried to veto the resignation, saying Kartal had been struck by a bottle from the stands and was under emotional strain. He insisted the coach would continue under his watch.

Overnight, Kartal cleared his office at the Can Bartu Training Facilities and refused to take Friday morning’s recovery session in Samandıra.

After a crisis meeting at his home with Football Director Oğuz Çetin, the hierarchy accepted his decision as final. His absence from the 12:00 training session, alongside reports he had switched off his phone, led the board to concede.

With a critical Süper Lig Matchday five trip to Gaziantep FK on Monday, September 14, first-team coach Dirk Kuyt is set to take interim charge on the touchline in Anatolia while the board searches for a permanent successor.

Source: Turkish-Football.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”