Fenerbahce Coach Announces Resignation, Club President Tells Him to Stay
Ismail Kartal said he was leaving to clear the way for the club after a bottle incident and pressure from supporters and media.
- Fenerbahçe head coach Ismail Kartal announced his resignation Thursday after a 1-1 draw against Roma in their Champions League opener, but club president Aziz Yildirim immediately rejected the decision, insisting the coach remains in charge.
- The 65-year-old Kartal returned for a fourth managerial spell in June 2026, overseeing the club's return to the Champions League for the first time in 18 years before this sudden post-match departure.
- Citing "pressure" and a mid-match bottle-throwing incident, Kartal announced his departure, leaving English defender Archie Brown "completely taken aback" by the sudden news.
- Yildirim told reporters that Kartal "continues in his role," criticizing media and supporters for the "pressure" that fueled the coach's decision to resign.
- Despite Kartal's stated intention to leave "never to return" to help the club, Yildirim emphasized that the community must support the coach, effectively overriding the resignation.
183 Articles
183 Articles
Fenerbahce coach announces shocking resignation during press conference; club refuses to accept
Ismail Kartal stunned Fenerbahce by announcing his resignation after the 1-1 draw with Roma, but president Aziz Yildirim rejected the decision and said he remains the coach. Defender Archie Brown, who scored the equaliser, was shocked by the news.
Surrealist situation that has happened in the Fenerbahce after the first match of Champions. After returning to the maximum competition of clubs after several years, the Turkish group tied before Rome (1-1). The result - and everything that happened - did not like his coach, Ismail Kartal, who presented the resignation after the duel. However, the president of the Fenerbahce, and there comes the madness, did not accept the resignation of his tec…
Fenerbahçe coach Ismail Kartal has resigned following a draw with Roma. He made the decision after a fan hit him with a bottle, and the club's management is trying to persuade him to change his mind.
Fenerbahce Chaos: Manager Quits After Roma Draw, President Says No
Fenerbahce’s return to the Champions League could hardly have ended more dramatically. Minutes after a 1-1 draw with Roma, manager Ismail Kartal stunned reporters by announcing his resignation in the post-match press conference — only for club president Aziz Yıldırım to immediately declare that he was staying in the job.Kartal’s extraordinary announcement came after Fenerbahce […]
Fenerbahce is in turmoil, with coach Ismail Kartal announcing his resignation after the 1-1 draw with Roma and president Aziz Yildirim publicly denying it. Fenerbahce was in turmoil shortly after the draw with Roma (1-1), in their Champions League debut, as Ismail Kartal dropped a "bomb" announcing his retirement from coaching. Everything seemed to indicate that a normal press conference was going to follow after the end of the match, however, t…
The technician showed up in the press room: "I don't want questions." The president of the club Yildirim denies: "Stay here"
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