Trabzonspor Rejects Fatih Tekke's Resignation After Europa League Exit

Trabzonspor have turned down the “emotional” resignation of head coach Fatih Tekke after their Europa League collapse, keeping faith with the man who steered them back towards the summit of Turkish football last season.

Tekke offered to walk away on Thursday night after a bruising 4-0 defeat to Ferencvaros in Hungary, a result that sealed a 5-0 aggregate loss in the play-off round and ended their Europa League hopes before the group stage.

The response from the board was swift. By Friday morning, the club had formally rejected the 48-year-old’s resignation, stressing that his decision had come in the heat of the moment, driven by the “intense emotional impact” of the European exit rather than a considered judgment on his work.

Tekke, a former club icon as a player, guided Trabzonspor to third place in the Super Lig last season and into continental competition. One heavy night in Europe, the hierarchy have decided, is not enough to tear that up.

Europa League dream over, but Europe remains. Trabzonspor will now drop into the Europa Conference League for this campaign and will discover their six opponents in the league phase on Friday, a fresh route to repair both pride and reputation.

The setback in Hungary jars sharply with the ambition shown off the pitch. The seven-time Turkish champions have been one of the headline-makers of the summer window, pulling off a remarkable coup by signing Mohamed Salah, a Premier League and Champions League winner, and bringing in Fabinho to reinforce the spine of the side. Andre Onana has also returned to the club on loan from Manchester United, adding another high-profile name to an already eye-catching squad.

Salah’s arrival stunned Europe. Now 34, the Egypt international chose Trabzonspor last month after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract at Liverpool at the end of last season. He left Anfield as a modern great: the third-highest scorer in Liverpool’s history, with 257 goals in 442 games since joining from Roma in 2017, trailing only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.

He has wasted no time making his mark in his new colours. Salah scored his first two goals for Trabzonspor in a 2-1 league win over Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday, a performance that hinted at a devastating partnership with his new teammates and briefly shifted the mood before the Ferencvaros defeat dragged it back down again.

Now the picture is clear. Tekke stays. The squad is star-studded. The Europa League is gone, but the Conference League awaits. With Salah, Fabinho and Onana on board, the margin for disappointment has shrunk. The next European night will not just be about redemption; it will be a test of whether this bold project can withstand its first real shock.