Trabzonspor have parted ways with head coach Fatih Tekke after initially rejecting his resignation following the Turkish club’s Europa League play-off exit.
Tekke submitted his resignation after Trabzonspor were eliminated from the Europa League play-off round by Hungarian side Ferencvaros, losing 5-0 on aggregate.
The club initially rejected the 48-year-old’s request, saying it appeared to have been made under the intense emotional impact of the European exit.
However, Trabzonspor confirmed on Wednesday that they had reached a mutual understanding with Tekke and agreed to end their partnership in the interests of the club’s long-term objectives.
“Over his approximately 18-month tenure, Fatih Tekke brought significant value to Trabzonspor,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.
The club credited Tekke with helping develop players, delivering sporting and financial gains and ending a long wait for the Turkish Cup.
“By bringing the Turkish Cup back to our museum, he once again wrote his name into Trabzonspor’s history,” the statement added.
Trabzonspor said the decision followed discussions with Tekke, who maintained that he would never allow his presence to harm the club.
“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,” the club said.
Trabzonspor finished third in the Turkish Super Lig under Tekke last season and will continue their European campaign in the Europa Conference League this term, with Scottish club Hearts among their opponents.
The club made several high-profile additions during the summer, including former Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Fabinho, while Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana also returned on loan.
Salah, 34, joined Trabzonspor after ending his long association with Liverpool, where he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances after arriving from Roma in 2017.
The departure brings an end to Tekke’s approximately 18-month spell in charge, during which he guided Trabzonspor to domestic cup success and a strong league finish.
PUNCH Online had reported that Trabzonspor had rejected head coach Fatih Tekke’s resignation following the Turkish club’s heavy Europa League defeat by Ferencvaros.
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