Trabzonspor Accepts Fatih Tekke’s Resignation After Europa League Exit

Trabzonspor have drawn a line under Fatih Tekke’s reign, accepting the head coach’s “emotional” resignation days after initially trying to talk him out of it.

Tekke walked away in the aftermath of a brutal Europa League play-off exit, a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Hungarian side Ferencvaros that cut deep at the club. The 48-year-old offered his resignation immediately, only for the board to push back on Friday, suggesting he had acted under the “intense emotional impact” of that collapse in Europe.

The mood has shifted since then. On Wednesday, Trabzonspor confirmed they had reached what they called a “mutual understanding” with Tekke and agreed to part company, stressing the decision was taken “in line with Trabzonspor’s interests and long-term objectives”.

The club were keen to underline what Tekke leaves behind. Across roughly 18 months in charge, he steered Trabzonspor to third place in the Super Lig last season and, crucially, delivered silverware. By lifting the Turkish Cup, he “once again wrote his name into Trabzonspor’s history”, the statement said.

The board also highlighted his role in shaping the squad, crediting him with helping develop new arrivals and generating “important sporting and financial gains” during his tenure.

The split, they insisted, came with the club’s wider picture in mind. Tekke had told the hierarchy he would never allow his presence to harm Trabzonspor “in any way”, and from there both sides accepted that “drawing a new roadmap, prioritising the club’s interests above all else, had become unavoidable”.

Trabzonspor closed with a note of gratitude, thanking Tekke for his “efforts, his dedicated work, the successes he delivered, and the value he added” to the club. The search now begins for the coach who must turn that bruising European exit into the starting point for a new era.