Ismail Kartal resigns, Fenerbahce president rejects decision

Fenerbahce coach Ismail Kartal announced his resignation after being hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd during his side’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Roma on Thursday, but club president Aziz Yildirim rejected the decision and insisted the 65-year-old would remain in charge.

Kartal, who was appointed in June, said he had decided to step down after the incident during the match at Ulker Stadyumu.

“I made this decision to clear the way for my club. I quit, and I’m not coming back,” Kartal said.

However, Yildirim said he was unaware of Kartal’s decision and backed the coach to continue his work with the Istanbul club.

“None of us knew about the resignation decision,” Yildirim said.

“Ismail Kartal remains in charge. But the entire Fenerbahce community should stand behind the coach. He is at the start of his mission. We support him,” Yildirim added.

Fenerbahce later said on social media that the supporter responsible for throwing the bottle had been identified and banned from the stadium.

The incident overshadowed an entertaining match in Istanbul, where Roma took the lead through Bryan Cristante in the first half.

Fenerbahce responded strongly after the break and levelled shortly after the restart, with Archie Brown finding the net to earn the Turkish side a point.

The result left both teams sharing the spoils as Fenerbahce began their Champions League campaign with a draw, despite the controversy surrounding their coach.