Trabzonspor board overturns Fatih Tekke resignation after Budapest defeat

Trabzonspor have rejected Fatih Tekke’s resignation and confirmed that he will remain in charge despite the club’s emphatic European qualifying exit.

The Turkish side were beaten 4-0 by Hungarian club Ferencvarosi in the second leg of their Europa League play-off on Thursday night, completing a 5-0 aggregate defeat after losing the first meeting 1-0 at home.

Tekke offered his resignation immediately after the heavy loss, bringing his future with the club into question. However, Trabzonspor announced on Friday that the board had declined to accept his decision and had renewed its confidence in the manager.

He is expected to lead the team from the touchline in their next Turkish Super Lig match, against Amedspor on Monday.

In a statement, Trabzonspor said Tekke had made his decision in the aftermath of the defeat because of the “intense emotional pressure” created by the result in Budapest.

The match ended with Trabzonspor down to nine players after Ruslan Malinovskyi and Sidny Lopes Cabral were sent off. The visitors were unable to recover from the early setbacks as Ferencvarosi secured a comprehensive victory and advanced to the league phase of the Europa League.

Trabzonspor will instead compete in the Conference League this season.

Speaking after the match in comments reported by Turkish newspaper Fanatik, Tekke said: “Bad luck and exceptional weather are things that can be accepted, but I cannot accept this performance. I cannot sleep with this feeling, and I ask everyone to forgive me. We did our best.”

Tekke’s resignation had appeared to mark the end of a spell that began in March 2025. During his time in charge, he guided Trabzonspor to the Turkish Cup last season.

The club’s decision to retain him comes after an ambitious summer transfer window. Trabzonspor have signed Egypt forward Mohamed Salah on a two-year contract following his departure from Liverpool, while Ukraine international Malinovskyi arrived from Genoa.

They also recruited Cabral from Benfica and former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho on a free transfer after his departure from Al-Ittihad.

Trabzonspor finished third in the Turkish league last season, eight points behind champions Galatasaray. That position earned them a place in the Europa League qualifying competition, while their Turkish Cup triumph provided further success during the campaign.

The club have won seven Turkish league titles, with their most recent championship coming in the 2021-22 season. Their immediate focus will now turn to the Conference League and Monday’s domestic fixture, with the board publicly backing Tekke to continue leading the team.