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Besiktas announced Thursday evening that it has parted ways with Norwegian head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the club’s elimination from European competition.
In a statement, the Istanbul club said: “Our contract with Head Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been terminated as a result of the decision taken at the board of directors meeting.”
Club president Serdal Adali thanked Solskjaer for his services after Besiktas bowed out of Europe with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland’s Lausanne in the UEFA Conference League playoff round second leg at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Besiktas, which last lifted the Super Lig trophy in the 2020-21 season, has struggled for stability since the resignation of Sergen Yalcin. The club has since parted ways with multiple managers, including Onder Karaveli, Valerien Ismael, Senal Gunes, Burak Yılmaz, Riza Calimbay, Serdar Topraktepe, Fernando Santos, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst before appointing Solskjaer.
Among them, Burak Yilmaz had the shortest tenure with 35 days, while Senol Gunes lasted the longest with 343 days. Solskjaer, who had been in charge for 221 days, departs without silverware.
This season, Besiktas began in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers against Shakhtar Donetsk but dropped into the Conference League after losing both matches. The team then eliminated Ireland’s St. Patrick’s in the third qualifying round before facing Lausanne in the playoff round.
After a 1-1 draw in Switzerland, Besiktas suffered a 1-0 home defeat in front of its fans, closing its European campaign.
The loss sparked anger among Besiktas supporters. After the final whistle at Tupras Stadium, the stands erupted with chants of “Solskjaer resign,” calling for the Norwegian coach to step down.
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