Trabzonspor U-turn to accept manager's resignation

Trabzonspor have accepted the “emotional” resignation of head coach Fatih Tekke after the Turkish side initially rejected his request to step down.

Tekke, who led Trabzonspor to a third‑place finish in the league last season, tendered his resignation after his side were knocked out of the Europa League play‑off round 5‑0 on aggregate by Hungarian club Ferencvaros.

After rejecting his request on Friday and suggesting the 48‑year‑old made the decision under the “intense emotional impact” of the Europa League exit, the Super Lig club have now agreed to part ways with their head coach.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Trabzonspor said it reached a “mutual understanding” with Tekke and decided to part ways “in line with Trabzonspor’s interests and long‑term objectives”.

The statement added: “Over his approximately 18‑month tenure, Fatih Tekke brought significant value to Trabzonspor.

“Beyond contributing to the development of the players added to our squad during this period, he delivered important sporting and financial gains for our club. By bringing the Turkish Cup back to our museum, he once again wrote his name into Trabzonspor’s history.

“At this point, we reached a mutual understanding with our coach – who stated he would never allow his presence to harm Trabzonspor in any way – that drawing a new roadmap, prioritising the club’s interests above all else, had become unavoidable.

“We thank our coach for his efforts, his dedicated work, the successes he delivered, and the value he added to Trabzonspor.”

Trabzonspor, who signed Mohamed Salah in the summer, will still play European football this season, in the Europa Conference League, with Scottish side Hearts among their six opponents.

The seven-time Turkish champions also signed Liverpool’s Premier League winner Fabinho in the summer while goalkeeper Andre Onana has also rejoined the club on loan from Manchester United.

Salah, 34, made the shock decision to sign for Trabzonspor last month after mutually agreeing to end his contract at Liverpool last season.

The Egypt international is the third-highest scorer in the Reds’ history, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, after scoring 257 goals in 442 appearances following his move from Roma in 2017.

Salah scored his first two goals for his new club in Saturday’s 2-1 win against Istanbul Basaksehir.