In a shocking turn of events, Kartal resigned during the post-match press conference of Fenerbahce's 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw against Roma on Thursday, stating: "I stepped down from my duties this evening. I made this decision to clear the way for my club. I resigned while the path is still clear, with no intention of ever returning."

Club owner Aziz Yildirim quickly came out to reject Kartal's resignation in front of the media, but the chaos continued on Friday when Kartal reportedly became unreachable after turning off his phone.

The club confirmed on Friday evening that Kartal would not leave his post.

"Our manager, Mr. Ismail Kartal, is at the helm of his duties. Our team will continue its preparations for the Gaziantep FK match, with the training session to be held tomorrow at 11:30 under the direction of our manager Ismail Kartal," a statement posted on social media said.

According to reports from Turkish insider Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, Yildirim met with Kartal, who did not lead Friday's training sessions, on Friday evening and convinced the manager to stay in an "emotional meeting" after the latter had already packed his belongings from his office.

False start

After German manager Domenico Tedesco resigned following the 2025-26 season, Fenerbahce brought Kartal back for a fourth stint during the summer, during which they spent nearly €100 million on transfers for the likes of Mason Greenwood, Nathan Ake, Vedat Muriqi, and Romelu Lukaku. 

Despite the heavy spending, Fenerbahce have not had a smooth start to the new season, losing two of their first four Super Lig matches and leaving them in ninth place, six points behind reigning champions Galatasaray.

Fenerbahce face Gaziantep in Round 5 of the Super Lig on Monday, September 14th.