Ismail Kartal announced his resignation after Fenerbahce’s 1-1 draw with Roma, only for club president Aziz Yildirim to insist the manager will remain in charge.
Fenerbahce’s return to the Champions League ended in extraordinary fashion on Thursday night.
Not only did the Turkish giants draw 1-1 with Roma in their first appearance in the competition’s league phase for 18 years, but head coach Ismail Kartal announced his resignation immediately after the final whistle.
Kartal, 65, told reporters that he was stepping down “never to return”, explaining that he had made the decision to “pave the way” for the club.
Yet within minutes, Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim had publicly contradicted his manager, insisting that Kartal would continue in his role.
The bizarre sequence of events left players and supporters trying to work out exactly what had happened.
Ismail Kartal Announces His Resignation After Roma Draw
Kartal's decision came after a difficult start to the Turkish Super Lig campaign, with Fenerbahce sitting ninth after two defeats in their opening four matches.
The pressure had increased following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Besiktas, despite Kartal successfully guiding the club through Champions League qualifying and into the competition’s main league phase for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
After the draw with Roma, Kartal appeared to bring his fourth spell as Fenerbahce manager to an abrupt end.
“As of this evening, I congratulate my players and resign from my position,” Kartal said.
He added that he had made the decision to help the club, his players and future coaches, with the intention of “never returning”.
Kartal’s departure would have represented a remarkable turnaround just three months after returning to the club.
A former Fenerbahce player, he has spent a decade with the Istanbul side and has previously managed them in 2014-15, 2021-22 and 2023-24.
He was also part of the coaching staff during two of Fenerbahce’s most recent Turkish title-winning campaigns.
Fenerbahce President Insists Ismail Kartal Will Remain in Charge
The situation became even more extraordinary when Yildirim spoke to reporters shortly afterwards.
Rather than confirming Kartal’s departure, the Fenerbahce president insisted that the manager remained in charge.
“I just spoke to Ismail Kartal,” Yildirim said. “He mentioned the bottle incident and he also complained about being under pressure.”
Yildirim claimed that a bottle had been thrown at Kartal’s head during the match, leaving the manager upset.
He then made it clear that he considered the matter settled.
“I am his senior, I told him to continue and that’s it. We are a family.”
Yildirim has since gone even further, stating that Kartal cannot leave while he remains president and calling on the wider Fenerbahce community to stand behind the manager.
That leaves Kartal’s position in an unusual state: the manager has publicly announced his resignation, while the club president insists he is still the head coach.
Archie Brown Learns of Kartal’s Resignation During Post-Match Interview
The confusion was not limited to supporters or the media.
Fenerbahce defender Archie Brown appeared to learn about Kartal’s resignation during his own post-match interview.
Brown had just been named Player of the Match after scoring Fenerbahce’s equaliser when he was told that his manager had announced his resignation.
His reaction immediately showed how little warning the squad appeared to have received.
The confusion was not limited to supporters or the media.
Fenerbahce defender Archie Brown appeared to learn about Kartal’s resignation during his own post-match interview.
Brown had just been named Player of the Match after scoring Fenerbahce’s equaliser when he was told that his manager had announced his resignation.
His reaction immediately showed how little warning the squad appeared to have received.
“What do you mean he resigned? As what? As coach?”
Brown then sought further clarification before asking: “He’s not the coach anymore? He said this just now?”
The 24-year-old eventually confirmed that he had not known about the announcement.
“I didn’t know about this.”
Brown’s confusion was understandable given the timing of Kartal’s announcement, with the defender still conducting his post-match media duties while the manager was speaking separately to reporters.
The moment quickly attracted attention online and underlined just how unexpected Kartal’s decision had been inside the Fenerbahce camp.
Fenerbahce Draw 1-1 With Roma in Champions League Return
The extraordinary scenes followed a match in which Fenerbahce had plenty to celebrate.
Roma took the lead in the 39th minute when Bryan Cristante finished after receiving a pass from Donyell Malen.
Fenerbahce responded just before half-time, with Mason Greenwood playing Archie Brown through before the defender clipped his finish over Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.
The hosts then pushed for a winner in the second half.
Roma thought they had been awarded a penalty when Kerem Akturkoglu was penalised for a challenge on Paulo Dybala, but a VAR review determined that the foul had taken place outside the area.
Fenerbahce came closest to taking all three points late on when Nathan Ake headed against the crossbar.
Despite the draw, Fenerbahce had shown enough to suggest they could compete at this level after finally returning to the Champions League’s main stage.
What Happens Next for Ismail Kartal at Fenerbahce?
For now, Yildirim's position is clear: Kartal is staying.
But the circumstances surrounding the manager’s announcement mean questions remain over whether he genuinely intends to continue.
Fenerbahce face a difficult Champions League schedule ahead, with trips to Aston Villa and a home meeting with Liverpool among their remaining league-phase fixtures.
After a night that began with a hard-fought point against Roma and ended with a manager apparently resigning before being told to stay, Fenerbahce’s next chapter promises to be just as intriguing off the pitch as it is on it.
