Fenerbahce Coach Resigns After Roma Draw

"I am withdrawing from my duty. I want to thank everyone, I resign. I don't want any questions. I am resigning so that my club can manage the team better. I am resigning to help the club and my players." With these few words, to everyone's astonishment, İsmail Kartal has resigned as Fenerbahce coach. The surprising decision came during the press conference after the draw against Roma, a good result for the Turkish team which managed to recover after Cristante's early lead with a goal from Brown, even coming close to a winning goal in the final moments.

Kartal Resigns After Draw Against Roma: What Happened

Kartal, a 65-year-old Turkish coach, was announced as the new Fenerbahce manager a few months ago, specifically on June 26th. This was yet another return, having previously managed the Turkish club in the 2014-2015 season and then from 2022 to 2024, in addition to various roles in youth teams and as an assistant coach. His third stint in charge of Fenerbahce ends after only 11 matches, having secured qualification for the Champions League, and having also overcome Fonseca's Lyon in the last round, with this debut against Gasperini's Roma. In the Superlig, the Turkish championship, there were only four matches, with two wins and two losses against Genclerbirligi and Italiano's Besiktas. These two defeats earned him considerable criticism from Turkish fans, especially considering the extremely competitive and high-level squad for the Turkish league, but it was not clear if these were the sole reasons for this drastic and sudden decision. The Turkish coach refused to answer further questions, but official club statements later revealed the situation, in addition to the news of a bottle thrown by the Turkish fans during the match which hit Kartal on the head, leaving him deeply shaken by the incident.

Fenerbahce Denies Everything: 'Kartal is Still Our Coach'

A few hours after the final whistle and the press conference statements, Fenerbahce issued a statement, with the words of president Aziz Yıldırım who denied Kartal's resignation, affirming that he is still the Turkish club's coach: "İsmail Kartal is still in charge of the team. The club must support our coach. As long as I am here, İsmail Kartal will be the coach of Fenerbahçe. We said we would qualify for the Champions League, and we did. With whom did we do it? With İsmail Kartal! We didn't do it, we supported him. Public opinion is against us, everyone is attacking us. Did you see what happened, can people bear all this pressure? He says he feels the pressure: he was upset because a bottle was thrown at his head. Instead of applauding the results achieved, you are belittling him, which is shameful. I am not referring to you personally, I am speaking generally. İsmail Kartal is still in his place and the fans should support him. You cannot show your support by attacking him in this way. What a shame! It was a Champions League match, which ended 1-1. We played well, we created chances. Kartal resigned suddenly. We did not expect this, you are putting all the blame on this poor man, and everyone is attacking him on social media. I don't read social media, so I don't know the details of what happened."

Incident with a Bottle During Fenerbahce-Roma: What Happened

The Turkish club later commented on what happened during the Champions League match, with a bottle thrown by a fan that hit coach Kartal: "During the match," the statement read, "played at home against Roma, the person who threw a bottle at our coach İsmail Kartal was identified, upon the indication of the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, and their testimony was taken. In accordance with Law No. 6222, the individual has been banned from stadiums. This information is made public."