Fatih Tekke Resigns as Trabzonspor Head Coach After European Exit
Fatih Tekke’s second spell in charge of Trabzonspor is over, brought to an abrupt end by a bruising European exit and an emotional decision the club first tried to resist – and then accepted.
The 48-year-old head coach, who guided Trabzonspor to third place in the Super Lig last season and delivered the Turkish Cup, resigned after his side were dismantled 5-0 on aggregate by Ferencvaros in the Europa League play-off round.
The defeat cut deep. Tekke immediately offered his resignation, a move the board initially pushed back against on Friday, stressing that he had acted under the “intense emotional impact” of the European collapse. For a few days, it looked as though the club would try to ride out the storm with the former striker still at the helm.
That stance has now changed.
On Wednesday, Trabzonspor announced they had reached a “mutual understanding” with Tekke and agreed to part company, framing the decision as one taken “in line with Trabzonspor’s interests and long-term objectives”.
The club’s statement carried the tone of a respectful farewell rather than a brutal sacking. It underlined that across roughly 18 months in charge, Tekke “brought significant value to Trabzonspor”, highlighting both sporting and financial gains and, crucially, the return of the Turkish Cup to the club’s museum.
The message was clear: this was not a relationship that had simply soured overnight.
Tekke’s work with the squad was singled out, with the club crediting him for contributing to the development of the players brought in during his tenure. For a club that has long prided itself on smart recruitment and strong identities on the pitch, that matters.
The statement also referenced Tekke’s own stance in the discussions, noting that he had made it clear he “would never allow his presence to harm Trabzonspor in any way”. From there, both sides accepted that “drawing a new roadmap, prioritising the club’s interests above all else, had become unavoidable”.
The pressure of Europe had finally tipped the balance.
By the time the announcement arrived, the tone was one of closure. “We thank our coach for his efforts, his dedicated work, the successes he delivered, and the value he added to Trabzonspor,” the club concluded.
A cup, a top-three finish, and a sudden, painful European exit: Tekke leaves having written another chapter into Trabzonspor’s modern history. The question now is who will be trusted to script the next one.
