Trabzonspor Rejects Fatih Tekke's Resignation After Europa League Exit
Trabzonspor have turned down head coach Fatih Tekke’s resignation after a bruising Europa League exit, insisting the decision was made in the heat of the moment.
The Turkish side, who stunned Europe in the summer by signing Mohamed Salah, were thrashed 4-0 by Ferencvaros in Hungary on Thursday night, losing the play-off 5-0 on aggregate and crashing out before the league phase.
In the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Tekke, 48, offered to walk away. He had guided Trabzonspor to third place in the Super Lig last season, but the scale of the European collapse pushed him to tender his resignation.
By Friday morning, the club had made their stance clear: they were not accepting it. In a statement, Trabzonspor said Tekke’s move came from the “intense emotional impact” of the Europa League elimination, backing their coach to stay on and steady the season.
Conference League awaits after Europa blow
Instead of Europa League football, Trabzonspor now drop into the Europa Conference League. They will discover their six opponents for the league phase on Friday, a rapid reset from the disappointment in Budapest to the reality of a long European campaign in a different competition.
It all comes after one of the most eye-catching transfer windows in the club’s history. The seven-time Turkish champions have recruited heavily, landing Premier League winners Salah and Fabinho, while Andre Onana has rejoined on loan from Manchester United.
Salah, 34, shocked the game last month when he chose Trabzonspor as his next step, having mutually agreed to end his contract at Liverpool at the end of last season. The Egypt international leaves Anfield as a modern icon: the third-highest scorer in Liverpool’s history, with 257 goals in 442 appearances since arriving from Roma in 2017, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.
He has already started to repay the faith. Salah scored his first two goals for his new club in a 2-1 win over Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday, a glimpse of the firepower Trabzonspor hoped would carry them deeper into Europe.
Instead, they must regroup in the Conference League, with Tekke still in the dugout and a star-studded squad expected to respond.
