Turkish giant Fenerbahçe is looking for a new coach for its youth academy, according to social media posts. Fenerbahçe Sporting Director Damien Comolli, 46, recently posted an opening on LinkedIn to hire a trainer for the Istanbul club's youth setup.
"Fenerbahçe SK is looking for a head of coaching and methodology for its Football Academy," said the ad, which quickly went viral.
The French-born Comolli said candidates should have a UEFA Pro License, a top-tier coaching license required by the UEFA or the A License, which is a level below the Pro License. Both licenses are mandated by the UEFA for persons to coach a senior team or its reserves. Candidates were also told to have extensive professional football experience and be fluent in Turkish and English.
Fenerbahçe appointed Comolli in June 2018 as part of a new project launched by the club. The mastermind of Fenerbahçe's new scouting project, Comolli was under fire last season over making bad player picks. Last season's signings by Comolli contributed in part to Fenerbahçe's poor showing in the Süper Lig. While their archrivals Galatasaray became the 2019 Turkish champions with 69 points, Fenerbahçe ended the league campaign in the sixth spot, a whopping 23 points behind the Lions. Last summer Fenerbahçe wanted to kick off a new project to establish a scouting and youth setup system to get promising players for cheap rather than paying millions of euros for players over 30. This ongoing project aims to acquire young players at bargain prices so the club can minimize its debt. At the same time, the club aimed to create an intimidating football team to dominate the Süper Lig by paying fewer transfer fees. In June 2019, Fenerbahçe announced that its debt is over $650 million. The club owes $661.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2018. Established in 1907 in Istanbul, Fenerbahçe is one of the biggest clubs in Turkey and competes in many branches, including football, basketball and volleyball.
