A soccer coach in Turkey made headlines when he announced his resignation immediately after his team’s Champions League opener, only to have the club president step in and counter that decision.
Ismail Kartal, the manager of Fenerbahce, stated during a post-match press conference on Thursday that he was resigning, following a 1-1 draw with Roma in Istanbul. This declaration was short-lived as it quickly drew a response from the club’s president.
Aziz Yildirim, the president, dismissed the resignation entirely, as reported by BBC News. He expressed in a statement on the club’s website that “Ismail Kartal is still in charge. The club should support our coach.” Yildirim noted that “none of us knew about the resignation decision.”
Minutes after making history by being the first Turkish coach to earn a Champions League point for the club, Kartal announced his intent to step down. In his press remarks, he mentioned, “It was a display of football befitting the Champions League.”
Kartal presented his resignation as a selfless act for the club he has been associated with, on and off, since 1996. “I made this decision to clear the way for my club,” he said. “I will never come back. Good evening, everyone.”
The 65-year-old cited the challenges of the role and a specific incident where he was struck by a bottle thrown from the stands, which prompted the club to identify and ban the offender. He had already faced intense scrutiny from supporters following a derby defeat to Besiktas earlier in the month.
In the match itself, Bryan Cristante scored for Roma, but Archie Brown equalized for Fenerbahce shortly after halftime. A potential late penalty for Roma was rejected by VAR, and Nathan Ake almost scored for Fenerbahce, hitting the crossbar. This match marked Fenerbahce’s first appearance in the Champions League group stage in 18 years.
Brown was taken aback upon learning about the resignation, expressing confusion: “What do you mean he resigned? He said this just now? I didn’t know about this.”
Kartal was in his fourth spell as the team’s coach and had previously won the Turkish Super Cup in 2014.
