Foreign players' attitude played a role in İsmail Kartal's departure at Fenerbahçe

While Fenerbahçe's 4th term under İsmail Kartal came to an end after 9 matches in the Süper Lig, it turned out that the lack of strong support from foreign footballers for the manager during meetings held in Samandıra was influential behind the departure.

Following Fenerbahçe's 2-1 defeat against Galatasaray, manager İsmail Kartal resigned, and this resignation was accepted by the management. It was learned that contacts made by President Aziz Yıldırım prior to the decision were decisive in parting ways after 9 matches in the Süper Lig.

It was determined that during the meetings President Aziz Yıldırım held with the management team and players, particularly foreign players did not offer clear and strong support for İsmail Kartal to remain in office. This situation was among the influential factors in the decision to part ways.

İsmail Kartal had started the season with two derby defeats, losing 2-1 to Beşiktaş in the 4th week of the Süper Lig after taking a 1-0 lead, and 2-1 to Galatasaray in the 9th week. In his previous tenures, the experienced manager had achieved 8 victories, 5 draws, and 2 defeats in 15 league matches against Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor.