Fenerbahçe have parted ways with head coach Ismail Kartal by mutual agreement, ending his fourth spell in charge less than 24 hours after a 2-1 defeat to archrivals Galatasaray widened the gap in the Süper Lig title race.
The Turkish club announced the separation on Oct. 27, 2026, after Kartal informed the management of his decision to leave. Talks between the coach and club officials at the Samandıra Can Bartu Facilities ended with both parties agreeing to part ways.
“Our head coach Ismail Kartal has shared his decision to leave his post with our management, and following the talks held, this decision has been evaluated within the framework of mutual understanding and respect,” Fenerbahçe said in a statement.
The club thanked Kartal for his commitment and service and wished him success in the next stage of his career. The departure was also reported to Türkiye's Public Disclosure Platform.
The decision followed Monday's defeat at RAMS Park, where Victor Osimhen scored twice for Galatasaray before İrfan Can Kahveci pulled one back with a spectacular overhead kick in the second half. The result left Galatasaray top of the standings with 22 points from nine matches, six ahead of Fenerbahçe, who dropped to fifth on 16 points.
It was Fenerbahçe's third league defeat of the season and their second derby loss under Kartal, adding to the pressure on a team that had entered the campaign aiming to challenge for domestic and European honors.
The derby also ended in controversy, with post-match altercations resulting in red cards for players from both sides, including Fenerbahçe's Archie Brown. The disciplinary fallout added another complication for a club already facing scrutiny over its results.
Kartal's departure followed an earlier resignation attempt in September, when he announced he was stepping down after a 1-1 Champions League draw with Roma on Sept. 10. The coach said at the time that he wanted to clear the way for the club to move forward. He had also been struck by a bottle thrown from the stands during the match.
Club president Aziz Yıldırım rejected that resignation, and Kartal remained in the job after discussions with the management. This time, the club accepted his decision to leave.
Kartal, 65, had returned for his fourth spell on June 18, signing a one-year contract. His latest tenure lasted just over four months, with mixed results across domestic and European competitions.
He oversaw 18 official matches, recording nine wins, five draws and four defeats. Fenerbahçe scored 34 goals and conceded 20 during that run.
One of the defining achievements of his spell was helping the club return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2008-09 season. However, inconsistent performances and costly defeats, including a 6-0 loss to Aston Villa in the competition, undermined that progress. The defeats to Galatasaray and Beşiktaş further intensified pressure on the coach.
Kartal's departure marks another chapter in a long relationship with the Istanbul club. He played for Fenerbahçe from 1983 to 1993 before moving into coaching and taking charge of the team during four separate periods: 2014-15, a brief spell in 2022, the 2023-24 season and his latest appointment in 2026.
Although he has guided the club through several competitive league campaigns and secured a Turkish Super Cup, he has never won the Süper Lig title as head coach.
His latest return offered another opportunity to end that drought, but the growing gap behind Galatasaray and the team's uneven European performances left the club facing difficult questions early in the season.
Former Fenerbahçe and Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt, who joined the coaching staff in the summer, was reported to be the leading candidate to take interim charge following Kartal's departure.
Kuyt was expected to oversee preparations for Fenerbahçe's upcoming home league match against Göztepe on Oct. 31 and the club's next Champions League fixture against Liverpool.
Fenerbahçe had yet to announce a permanent replacement, leaving the club to address its immediate coaching needs while attempting to recover ground in the domestic title race and maintain its European campaign.
