Overview
- Kartal stunned reporters and players when he announced he was resigning “never to return” minutes after Fenerbahçe’s 1-1 draw with Roma on Thursday.
- Club president Aziz Yıldırım immediately told the media he would not accept the resignation and urged Kartal to stay, citing fan pressure and a bottle thrown at the coach’s head during the game.
- Kartal did not attend the next day’s training and was reported unreachable by Turkish media, after which assistant Dirk Kuyt led the session and took interim charge of first-team preparations.
- Turkish authorities and the club identified and banned the spectator who threw the bottle, while the board reportedly tried and failed to persuade Kartal to return before accepting his departure.
- Kartal returned in June for his fourth spell and had guided Fenerbahçe into the Champions League group stage for the first time in 18 years, a background that increases scrutiny on the club’s immediate leadership and match preparations.