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Trabzonspor head coach Fatih Tekke resigned Thursday after the Turkish club suffered a 4-0 defeat to Ferencvaros and was eliminated from the UEFA Europa League playoff round, just four matches after Egyptian star Mohamed Salah joined the club.
"We had a very sad night. Of course, the reason is my team and me. We had a sad night for both our country and our club," Tekke told reporters after the match. "As of now, I am resigning from my 18-month tenure. I feel I have the right to impose this punishment on myself."
Trabzonspor, nevertheless, announced on its website that the club’s board had rejected Tekke’s resignation, saying he had made the decision during the emotional aftermath of the defeat.
The club added that Tekke remained in charge and would lead Trabzonspor against Amedspor in its next Turkish Super Lig match on Aug. 31.
Ferencvaros advanced to the Europa League's league phase 5-0 on aggregate after following up its 1-0 first-leg win in Trabzon with a 4-0 victory at home. Trabzonspor was reduced to 10 players in the 13th minute when Ruslan Malinovskyi received a straight red card for violent conduct.
Ferencvaros took the lead in the 19th minute when Callum O’Dowda headed Adam Nagy’s cross into the net. Marius Corbu doubled the Hungarian side’s advantage in the 55th minute, firing a right-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Two minutes later, Trabzonspor went down to nine players after Sidny Cabral received a second yellow card for bringing down Yusuf inside the penalty area. Yusuf converted the resulting penalty to make it 3-0.
Mohamed Salah started in the first 11 but was substituted in the 64th minute as the coach looked to shore up the defense after Trabzonspor was reduced to nine men.
Krisztian Lisztes struck the post in the 72nd minute before completing the scoring in the 86th, finishing Oliver Nagy’s pass with a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Trabzonspor’s European campaign now continues in the UEFA Conference League league phase.
Fatih Tekke, a former Trabzonspor captain and club icon, took charge of the team in March 2025, helping the Black Sea club recover from a difficult start and finish the 2024-25 season in seventh place.
The following season, he guided the club to third in the Turkish Super Lig with 69 points and led Trabzonspor to its 10th Turkish Cup title, ending a five-season wait for the trophy.
The defeat came as the club raised expectations through blockbuster signings this summer, most notably Mohamed Salah. Trabzonspor finalized the signing of the Egyptian star on a two-year contract worth at least €35.7 million ($41.2 million) before bonuses and image-rights payments.
Salah has made four appearances for his new club, scoring two goals in two Turkish Super Lig matches while failing to contribute to the scoresheet in either leg of the Ferencvaros clash.
Earlier this week, the club completed another landmark transfer by signing Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, who left Saudi side Al Ittihad as a free agent, on a two-year contract.
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