Fenerbahce coach Ismail Kartal failed to appear at training on Friday, Turkish media reports said, a day after he announced he was stepping down following a draw against Roma in a Champions League game but the club refused to accept his resignation.
Kartal stunned a postmatch news conference following the 1-1 draw against Roma by announcing his intention to leave the club, a move that club president Aziz Yıldırım swiftly rejected.
“I have stepped down tonight,” Kartal said. “I made this decision to clear the way for my club. I am resigning with the intention of never returning.”
Kartal, who returned to the Istanbul side in June 2026 for his fourth stint, thanked the club for its support and congratulated his players on a match “we could have won,” before adding that “from now on, to help Fenerbahçe, my footballers, I have resigned from my position, on the condition of never returning.”
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The announcement caught club officials entirely off guard, prompting Yıldırım to address the media minutes later to override the manager’s decision.
“İsmail Kartal remains in charge. The club must support our coach. As long as I remain president, Kartal is the Fenerbahçe coach,” Yıldırım said.
“There is no need for İsmail Kartal to say he will continue. I am his superior; I tell him, ‘You will continue,’ and that’s that.”
Playing in front of a sold-out Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Fenerbahçe marked their return to Europe‘s top-tier competition for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.
Roma opened the scoring when Bryan Cristante capitalized with a low shot from outside the box in the 39th minute. Fenerbahçe responded early in the second half when left back Archie Brown expertly flicked the ball over the goalkeeper to equalize in the 48th minute.
Fenerbahçe will return to action on Monday to face Gaziantep FK in the Turkish Super Lig.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
