Fenerbahçe have turned to Dirk Kuyt on an interim basis after Ismail Kartal resigned, with Liverpool next up in the Champions League. The former striker will stay in charge until a new head coach is appointed, and he takes over with Fenerbahçe under pressure in both Turkey and Europe.
Fenerbahce's response to Kartal's exit
Kartal resigned after Fenerbahçe's 2-1 defeat by Galatasaray on Monday. BBC Sport reported that Kuyt has stepped in a week before the Liverpool tie, while SPORT1 described Kartal as having already resigned before the change was confirmed.
Kuyt is 46 and had been working as Kartal's assistant before stepping up. That is a short runway for any coach, and the numbers around the club show why the margin for error is thin: Fenerbahçe are fifth in the Turkish top-flight, six points behind leaders Galatasaray.
Europe has left little room
The Champions League position is even starker. Fenerbahçe are 31st in the league phase, with only 2 points from 3 matches and a goal difference of -6. Their recent run of DLDWD in the competition has offered very little stability.
Liverpool arrive with their own European pressure, sitting 23rd in the league phase on 3 points from 3 matches. Kuyt spent six years with Liverpool, scoring 71 goals in 285 appearances, and he also won the Turkish league title with Fenerbahce in 2013-14.
The club host Liverpool in Istanbul on Wednesday, 4 November at 17:45 GMT, and Kuyt's first major job is to stop the European slide from getting worse.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
