FENERBAHCE APPOINTS DIRK KUYT INTERIM COACH

Fenerbahce has appointed former Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt as interim coach following Ismail Kartal’s resignation. Kuyt steps up from his role as Kartal’s assistant, which he took in June 2026. Kartal resigned after Fenerbahce lost 2-1 to Galatasaray on Monday. The club said Kuyt would remain in charge “until a new head coach is appointed”. His first match will be Saturday’s Turkish league game against Goztepe.

Fenerbahce then host Liverpool, another of Kuyt’s former clubs, in a Champions League group stage match on Wednesday, 4 November. Kuyt spent six years at Liverpool and won the League Cup with the club in 2012. He scored 71 goals in 285 appearances for the Anfield side. He later spent three years at Fenerbahce and won the Turkish league title there in the 2013-14 season. After a further spell at Feyenoord, he retired as a player in 2017.

Kuyt previously managed ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht before joining Fenerbahce’s coaching staff. Fenerbahce stand fifth in the Turkish top flight, six points behind leaders Galatasaray. Kartal had also offered to resign in September, but Fenerbahce did not accept his resignation then. The club has given no date for appointing a permanent head coach. Kuyt’s first two matches in charge will therefore bring a league fixture and a meeting with Liverpool.