İsmail Kartal Era Ends at Fenerbahçe as Departure Becomes Official

Fenerbahçe have officially announced that they have parted ways with head coach İsmail Kartal by mutual agreement, bringing the experienced coach's spell at the yellow-and-navy club to a close.

The club's official statement read:

"Our Head Coach İsmail Kartal shared with our board his decision to step down from his post, and following the talks held, this decision has been considered within a framework of mutual understanding and respect. We thank İsmail Kartal for his efforts, his dedication to our club and his commitment to Fenerbahçe. We wish him every success in the rest of his career."

İsmail Kartal had surprisingly announced his decision to resign at the press conference following the UEFA Champions League match against Roma in September. Initially rejected by the board, the resignation took effect after several weeks had passed, and the departure has now been made official.

Departure Follows Derby Defeat The departure came after Fenerbahçe's 2-1 defeat to Galatasaray at RAMS Park in Week 9 of the Süper Lig. That result left the yellow-and-navy side 6 points behind leaders Galatasaray. After the match, Kartal said he was not satisfied with his team's performance, admitting they deserved to lose while insisting they were still in the title race.

Two Candidates on the Agenda: Montella and Croci-Torti According to reports following the derby, two foreign coaches are on the board's agenda: Vincenzo Montella, who recently left the Turkey national team, and Mattia Croci-Torti, who has been enjoying a successful run in charge of Lugano.

Montella left his post with the Turkey national team on 9 October 2026. The 52-year-old Italian, who took charge of the Crescent-Stars in September 2023, averaged 1.70 points per game across the 40 matches of his tenure. Montella's first coaching experience in Turkey came at Adana Demirspor, where he took charge of 76 matches between 2021 and 2023 and averaged 1.72 points per game.

The 44-year-old Croci-Torti, who has coached Lugano since September 2021, is under contract with the club until June 2028. Under Croci-Torti, Lugano have recorded 18 wins and 3 draws in 21 matches across all competitions in the 2026/27 season. Still unbeaten, the Swiss side have averaged 2.71 points per game in that period. Lugano have won 10 of their 11 matches in the Swiss league and also collected 4 wins and 2 draws in 6 matches in UEFA Conference League qualifying.