Turkey sack coach Montella after four Nations League defeats
The Turkish Football Federation has dismissed national coach Vincenzo Montella. Five senior officials, including the first deputy chairman, have also resigned.
Archive image · Photo: goatling; derivative work: Danyele / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Turkey are looking for a new head coach. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said on Friday, after a board meeting in Riva near Istanbul, that it would not continue working with Vincenzo Montella. "It has been decided not to continue with our head coach," the federation said on X. The decision follows a run of poor results: Turkey were the first team knocked out of this summer's World Cup and have since lost all four of their Nations League matches, twice against Italy and once each against France and Belgium.
The 52-year-old Italian was appointed in September 2023 and led Turkey to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, where they lost 2-1 to the Netherlands. Despite a squad including Hakan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, results dried up in recent months. The federation did not name a successor. Turkey's next matches come in November, when they host Belgium on November 12 before facing France three days later.
The dismissal comes amid turmoil at the top of the federation. Five officials resigned, among them first deputy chairman Mecnun Otyakmaz. "We felt there was no point in continuing," Otyakmaz said. According to the TFF, the remaining board will stay in office until the next ordinary elective general assembly, two substitute members will move up, and Ahmet Erzurumlu will replace the secretary-general who had resigned.