Trabzonspor have rejected head coach Fatih Tekke’s resignation after the Turkish club suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Ferencvaros and crashed out of the UEFA Europa League qualifying playoffs.
Tekke announced his resignation immediately after Thursday’s defeat in Budapest, taking responsibility for the result and describing the loss as unacceptable.
Trabzonspor had entered the second leg with a 1-0 deficit from the first meeting in Turkey but were unable to overturn the advantage. Ferencvaros scored four unanswered goals to complete a 5-0 aggregate victory and eliminate the Turkish side from the Europa League.
The defeat was made more difficult for Trabzonspor after the team was reduced to nine players during the match. The result ended the club's hopes of reaching the Europa League league phase.
Speaking after the match, Tekke said he and his coaching staff had spent the past 18 months working to improve the team but accepted responsibility for the disappointing European campaign.
He announced his resignation during a television interview, revealing that he had not informed the club's management before making the decision public.
However, Trabzonspor's board rejected the resignation on Friday, saying the coach's decision had been influenced by the intense emotions surrounding the heavy defeat.
The club confirmed that Tekke would remain in charge and lead the team in its next Turkish Super Lig fixture against Amedspor.
Tekke, who took charge of Trabzonspor in March 2025, guided the club to third place in the Turkish Super Lig last season with 69 points and also helped them win the Turkish Cup.
The club made significant moves in the transfer market during the summer, most notably signing Egyptian star Mohamed Salah on a two-year contract. Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho also joined the team, while goalkeeper Andre Onana returned on loan.
Salah had scored twice in Trabzonspor's 2-1 league victory over Istanbul Basaksehir shortly before the Europa League setback, but he was unable to prevent the team's heavy defeat in Hungary.
Although their Europa League campaign has ended, Trabzonspor will continue competing in Europe this season through the UEFA Conference League league phase.
The club's decision to retain Tekke gives the coach an immediate opportunity to rebuild confidence within the squad and move past the disappointing European exit.
For now, the board has made it clear that it continues to back the coach, despite the dramatic circumstances surrounding his resignation announcement.
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