THIS is the shocking moment Fenerbahce’s manager was hit by a bottle thrown from the stands which triggered him to announce his resignation.
Ismail Kartal oversaw the Turkish club’s 1-1 draw at home to Roma, with Archie Brown’s early second-half strike for the hosts cancelling out Bryan Cristante‘s opener in the first half.
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However, footage emerged following the game revealing a fan who was sat behind the manager’s dugout had thrown a BOTTLE towards Kartal.
The 65-year-old, who returned to Fenerbahce for his fourth spell in charge of the team in June, then abruptly declared he was resigning from his position, effective immediately.
He told reporters: “As of this evening, I would like to congratulate my players and announce my resignation.
“I have resigned from my post while there is still time, to assist my beloved Fenerbahce, my players and future managers.
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“I wish everyone a good evening, on the understanding that I shall never return.”
His announcement caught both club officials and players off-guard, but Fenerbahce President Aziz Yıldırım vowed not to accept the decision.
Yıldırım said: “None of us knew about the resignation decision.
“Ismail Kartal remains in charge. The entire Fenerbahce community should stand behind the coach. Until I leave, Ismail Kartal is the coach of Fenerbahce.”
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Goalscorer Brown, who represented England Under-20s and enjoyed a youth career with West Brom and Derby, was told of the news after the game and was left stunned by it.
The 24-year-old asked: “What do you mean he resigned?”
He then added: “[Quit] as what? As coach? What do you mean by resigned… he’s not coach anymore? He said this just now? I didn’t know about this.”
A club statement added the individual responsible for throwing the bottle had been identified, their statement taken following instructions from Istanbul prosecutors, and a stadium ban issued under Law 6222.
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Yıldırım, 73, continued in a lengthy statement by attacking media, pundits, and fans who were critical of the squad despite them qualifying for the Champions League – going as far as saying some were “betraying” the club.
On the situation, he added he had spoken to Kartal and told him he would continue in his role following a chat.
He said: “I just spoke to İsmail Kartal inside. He mentioned the bottle incident, he mentioned this pressure. He said, ‘I’m taking medication.’ Well, I take 30 pills a day myself…
“There is no need for İsmail Kartal to say ‘I will continue.’ I am his elder. I told him, ‘You will carry on,’ and that is the end of it. We are a family.
“There is no issue coming from our side. The issue is that while the match was 1–1, a bottle was thrown at his head. People were shouting from the stands. The fans shout without even knowing what is going on.
“Fenerbahçe fans must protect the values of their club – not just the players, coaches, and directors, but every value within the entire community.”
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Fenerbahce’s Turkish rivals Trabzonspor, where Mohamed Salah now plays, similarly saw their manager, Fatih Tekke, quit his post after losing the Europa League play-off.
Tekke’s “emotional” resignation was initially rejected by the club, before they made a U-Turn to accept his departure at the start of September after coming to a “mutual understanding”.
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