ISTANBUL (TURKEY) (ITALPRESS) – “Ismail Kartal is staying put. The club environment needs to support our coach. As long as I am here, Ismail Kartal will be the Fenerbahçe coach.“ Aziz Yildirim, the Turkish club’s president, was categorical in flatly rejecting the resignation of coach Kartal—an announcement made yesterday evening during the press conference following the home draw against Roma in the Champions League.
“None of us knew about it,” Yildirim added while speaking to the press. “It has become a habit within the Fenerbahçe community: no one defends the club’s values. Fenerbahçe has come under fire simply because we qualified for the Champions League. We are all under stress. I don’t use social media, so I’m calm. But others do use it and are influenced by it. Just tonight [yesterday], a bottle was thrown at Coach Ismail’s head. Naturally, he is upset; that is the reason. Our team played well. We secured a point, and by our calculations, we can advance past the group stage.”
Kartal will therefore remain at the helm of ‘Fener’: “I spoke to him; he mentioned the bottle incident and the pressure he is under. He says, ‘I’m taking medication.’ Well, I take thirty pills myself…” he concluded.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
