Fenerbahçe said Friday head coach Ismail Kartal would remain in charge of the team, reversing uncertainty a day after he announced his resignation following a draw with Roma in the Champions League opener.
Media reports earlier Friday claimed Fenerbahçe had accepted Kartal's resignation and that assistant coach Dirk Kuyt would temporarily manage the team.
Fenerbahçe had initially refused to accept the 65-year-old's resignation, but he nevertheless failed to attend training Friday.
In a statement later Friday, the Istanbul club said Kartal would lead training Saturday as part of preparations for their upcoming Süper Lig game against Gaziantep FK.
"Head Coach Ismail Kartal remains in charge," Fenerbahçe said. "Our team will continue preparations for the Gaziantep FK match with a training session under the management of our coach Ismail Kartal."
Kartal had announced his resignation after the 1-1 draw in Istanbul that ended 18 years of Fenerbahçe's absence from the Champions League. He did not explain why he was quitting just three months after taking up the position and refused to take questions.
"First of all, I congratulate my players for carrying out the tasks I assigned for tonight's match to the letter. We played football worthy of the Champions League," Kartal said at a post-match news conference. "We could have won the match; we had clear chances. The match ended in a draw, and I am proud of my players."
Kartal continued: "Tonight, I am resigning from my position – never to return. I extend my heartfelt thanks to my players."
In a separate news conference soon after, club chair Aziz Yıldırım said Fenerbahçe fans had hurled a water bottle at Kartal, describing the incident as a reason for the coach's decision. Kartal was also upset by a series of social media posts, Yıldırım said.
Yıldırım insisted that Kartal's resignation was not accepted and that he would remain at the helm.
"You saw the state Ismail was in. Can a person endure that much distress?" Yıldırım said. "They threw a water bottle at Ismail Kartal's head. We saw it. That is why he is upset."
"Ismail Kartal remains in his post," he added. "I said (to Kartal): 'You will continue,' and that was that."
The Istanbul club, meanwhile, said on social media that the person who had thrown a bottle at Kartal had been identified and banned from the stadium.
Kartal, who spent a decade at Fenerbahçe as a player, coached the club in 2014-15, then on an interim basis in 2021-22 before returning for a full campaign in 2023-24.
He was assistant manager at Fenerbahçe the last two times the club won the Süper Lig and returned for a fourth managerial spell in June.
Fenerbahçe have finished second in the Turkish top flight in the last five seasons and reached the league phase of the Champions League this season for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.
