Fenerbahce: Storm Erupts After Draw with Roma—Kartal Hit in the Head with a Bottle

Fenerbahçe-Roma isn’t over yet. The Turkish team’s coach, İsmail Kartal, sensationally announced his resignation at a press conference: “I thank my players tonight and I am resigning,” said the Turkish coach. “I made this decision so that my club can better manage the team. I’m resigning to help the club and my players. I’m leaving knowing that I will never return.”

Immediately afterward, however, Fenerbahçe president Aziz Yıldırım tried to set the record straight: “None of us knew anything; we need to stay calm. He says he’s feeling the pressure: he was shaken because someone threw a bottle at his head. Now he’s heading home, and he’s still our coach. He needs the support of everyone around him.”

“During the home game against AS Roma in the Champions League, the person who threw the bottle at our head coach, Ismail Kartal, was identified on the instructions of the Anadolu Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul and was questioned. A ban on attending sporting events was imposed on that person pursuant to Law No. 6222,” reads a statement from the Istanbul club.