ISTANBUL — Fenerbahçe coach İsmail Kartal did not show up for training on Friday. On Thursday night, minutes after a 1-1 draw with AS Roma in the Champions League, Kartal announced his resignation at his postgame news conference. Club president Aziz Yıldırım refused to accept it at a separate news conference soon after.
Thursday’s match in Istanbul was Fenerbahçe’s first Champions League match past the qualifying rounds since the 2008-09 season. Bryan Cristante scored for Roma in the first half. Archie Brown scored for Fenerbahçe in the 48th minute.
Before announcing the decision, Kartal said Fenerbahçe had played at a Champions League level and could have won the match on the clear chances it created. The state-run Anadolu Agency carried those remarks.
“I have been here three months,” Kartal said, according to a translation published by BBC Sport. “From the beginning of the season until today, the training sessions and camps we held with the players, and the efforts of our president, have been very helpful. Those were wonderful days. As of this evening, I congratulate my players and resign from my position.”
“I made this decision to pave the way for my club,” Kartal continued. “We made this decision together as a team. From now on, to help Fenerbahçe, my players and future coaches, I have resigned from my position, with the intention of never returning.”
After the statement, Kartal took no questions, the AP reported. Kartal, 65, returned to Fenerbahçe in June for his fourth spell as head coach.
Brown, a 24-year-old English defender, was told of Kartal’s announcement during a postgame interview, BBC Sport reported.
“What do you mean he resigned?” Brown said. “As coach? He’s not the coach any more? He said this just now? I didn’t know about this.”
Aziz Yıldırım Says İsmail Kartal Remains Fenerbahçe Coach
A statement from Yıldırım posted on the club’s website said Kartal is still in charge and will stay head coach until Yıldırım leaves office.
“You saw the state İsmail was in,” Yıldırım said, according to the AP. “Can a person endure that much distress? They threw a water bottle at İsmail Kartal’s head. We saw it. That is why he is upset.”
A bottle thrown from the stands struck Kartal during the match, BBC Sport reported. Fenerbahçe said on social media that the spectator who threw it had been identified and banned from the stadium. Yıldırım said he spoke with Kartal after the news conference and that Kartal complained about being under pressure, Al Jazeera reported. Kartal was also upset by a series of social media posts, Yıldırım said, according to the AP.
Yıldırım said constant criticism from supporters and the media had created pressure around Kartal, and he asked both to uphold the values of the Fenerbahçe community.
“This community should support İsmail Kartal,” Yıldırım explained. “You can’t show support by throwing punches at him like this.”
“İsmail Kartal doesn’t need to say he’ll continue,” Yıldırım added. “I am his senior. I said he’ll continue, and that’s it. We’re a family.”
Dirk Kuyt Runs Fenerbahçe Training Without İsmail Kartal
Assistant coaches Dirk Kuyt and Zeki Murat Göle ran Friday’s session at the club’s Can Bartu Facilities in Samandıra, Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu reported. Training started at 4 a.m. CT. Sabuncuoğlu later posted that Kartal had turned off his phones and could not be reached. Fenerbahçe football director Oğuz Çetin and Cihan Kamer, the board member responsible for football, planned to meet Kartal at his home later Friday, Türkiye Gazetesi reported.
Friday’s work opened with warm-up, quickness, and coordination drills, according to the club. Passing work followed, and the session ended with small-sided games. Players who started against Roma and played more than 60 minutes finished the day with recovery work.
As a player, Kartal spent a decade at Fenerbahçe and made more than 250 appearances. He won two league titles among six trophies with the club. Before his first spell as head coach, in 2014-15, Kartal spent four years as an assistant. He was on the staff for the last two Süper Lig titles Fenerbahçe won. That first spell produced the 2014 Turkish Super Cup. He also coached the club on an interim basis in 2021-22 and for a full season in 2023-24.
This season, Fenerbahçe beat Sturm Graz 3-0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round and Olympique Lyonnais 3-2 on aggregate in the playoff round to reach the league phase. In the Süper Lig, the club has two wins and two losses through four matches and sits ninth.
Beşiktaş won 2-1 at Fenerbahçe on Sept. 5. It was Kartal’s first loss to Beşiktaş as Fenerbahçe coach, according to Turkish broadcaster A Spor.
Fenerbahçe plays its fifth league match of the season Monday at Gaziantep FK. Kickoff at Gaziantep Stadium is set for noon CT.
