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Türkiye's football authorities have reportedly decided to part ways with national team head coach Vincenzo Montella after a disastrous start to the UEFA Nations League left the team with four defeats from four matches, according to a report in Turkish daily Milliyet.
The reported decision followed Türkiye's 3-1 away defeat to Italy in Bologna, which came only three days after a 3-0 loss to Belgium in Liege and deepened the pressure surrounding the Italian coach.
As of Oct. 7, 2026, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) had not publicly announced Montella's dismissal. Milliyet reported, however, that Turkish football chief Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu and the federation's management had decided to end his tenure and were preparing the terms of his departure.
The report said Montella, whose contract runs through the end of EURO 2028, earns a reported €2.2 million per year, or around €183,000 per month, and that the federation plans to pay him five months' salary as compensation.
Türkiye's latest defeat came at Bologna's Renato Dall'Ara Stadium, where Italy won 3-1 through goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Francesco Pio Esposito. Aral Simsir briefly brought Türkiye level in the second half before the hosts pulled away.
Türkiye's first campaign in League A began with a 1-0 home defeat to France before Italy swept Montella's side aside 4-1 in Bursa.
The pressure intensified on Oct. 2, when Belgium beat Türkiye 3-0 at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in Liege, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring twice before Romelu Lukaku added the third.
Montella responded to criticism after that defeat by defending his players and stressing that the team was adjusting to the demands of League A.
"I don't want to pay too much attention to the criticism," he said, while also pointing to Türkiye's qualification for the World Cup, promotion to Nations League A and appearance at the European Championship during his tenure.
He also said he remained highly motivated and was ready to work harder rather than consider stepping away.
That stance continued after the return match against Italy, when Montella argued that Türkiye had competed well despite the 3-1 scoreline and said the experience of playing at this level would help the team develop. The TFF's official account of his post-match comments quoted him as saying Türkiye would continue improving toward its objectives.
The latest defeat, however, left Türkiye with four losses from four Nations League matches, and Turkish media reports now say the federation has changed course after continuing to back Montella through earlier setbacks.
Montella took charge of Türkiye in September 2023 and quickly made an impact, guiding the national team through the closing stages of EURO 2024 qualification.
Türkiye went on to reach the EURO 2024 quarterfinals in Germany, beating Georgia and Czechia in the group stage before knocking out Austria 2-1 in the round of 16. Its run ended with a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat to the Netherlands.
His side later moved up to Nations League A after beating Hungary 3-1 at home and 3-0 away in the 2025 promotion play-off, completing a 6-1 aggregate victory.
Montella then oversaw another major milestone as Türkiye qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending a 24-year absence from the tournament. Türkiye finished behind Spain in European qualifying before overcoming Romania and Kosovo in the play-offs to secure its first World Cup appearance since 2002.
The successes were increasingly accompanied by damaging results, including a 6-0 home defeat to Spain during World Cup qualifying.
Türkiye's long-awaited World Cup return then ended in the group stage. Montella's team lost 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay, meaning it had already been eliminated before beating host United States 3-2 in its final Group D match.
The Nations League results further intensified the pressure. Türkiye followed defeats against France and Italy with the 3-0 loss in Belgium before Italy beat it again 3-1 in Bologna. UEFA's results list confirms Türkiye lost each of its first four League A matches.
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According to Milliyet, Montella has overseen 40 official and friendly matches, recording 21 wins, five draws and 14 defeats, while Türkiye's latest seven matches have produced six defeats and only one victory. The same figures were subsequently carried by several Turkish sports outlets.
If the reported separation is formally confirmed, the Italy defeat will have been Montella's final match after a three-year spell in which Türkiye returned to the latter stages of the European Championship, earned promotion to Nations League A and ended a 24-year World Cup absence, before a sequence of six defeats in seven matches brought his position under mounting pressure.
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