Sports
Fenerbahce coach resigns after bottle thrown at him in Roma draw; club president says he stays
September 10, 2026 at 10:30 PM · Updated 36d ago
Coverage
16 reports · 13 in Arabic, 3 in English · over 95 hours
Fenerbahce coach Ismail Kartal resigned after a fan threw a bottle at him during a 1-1 Champions League draw with Roma, but club president Aziz Yıldırım said the coach remains in charge.
- Roma drew 1-1 with Fenerbahce in their Champions League league-phase opener, with Brian Cristante scoring in the 39th minute and Archie Brown equalizing in the 48th.
- A fan threw a bottle at Kartal during the match; the club said the fan was identified and banned from attending matches under Turkish Law No. 6222.
- Kartal announced his resignation after the match, saying he took the decision to give the club freedom and had no intention of ever returning.
- Yıldırım confirmed Kartal remains head coach and called on fans to support him without pressure.
Latest developments
- Sep 10 — Fenerbahce sit ninth in the Turkish Super Lig after a poor start, with upcoming matches against Aston Villa and Liverpool.
- Sep 10 — The club finished second in each of the past five seasons and reached the Champions League league phase for the first time in 18 years.
- Sep 10 — A late Nathan Aké header hit the crossbar for the hosts in the 1-1 draw.
- Sep 10 — Fenerbahçe fans unveiled a Frankenstein-inspired tifo before the Roma match, with a banner reading “Fenerbahçe is back to haunt Europe,” which drew millions of views on social media.














