Trabzonspor's hopes of advancing in the Europa League were dashed Thursday night when they suffered a 4-0 loss to Hungarian side Ferencvaros, resulting in an aggregate score of 5-0. The defeat led head coach Fatih Tekke to announce his resignation, but the club's board has since stated that his resignation has not been accepted.
European Campaign Ends
The first leg of the play-off tie saw Trabzonspor lose 1-0. On Thursday, an early red card for summer signing Ruslan Malinovskyi significantly hindered the team's chances. Callum O'Dowda opened the scoring for Ferencvaros in the 19th minute, and Marius Corbu extended their lead shortly after halftime. The situation worsened when Sidny Cabral received a second yellow card in the 57th minute, reducing Trabzonspor to nine men. Bamidele Yusuf converted a penalty, and Krisztian Lisztes added a fourth goal late in the match.
Mohamed Salah, a high-profile summer acquisition, was substituted just after the hour mark as the team faced a significant defeat and saw their Europa League aspirations extinguished. Trabzonspor will now drop into the Conference League.
Club Investment and Managerial Stance
The failure to qualify for the Europa League represents a blow for Trabzonspor, particularly after significant investment in the transfer window. This included securing Salah on an annual salary of £8.5 million and a £6 million signing fee. The club also signed Salah's former Liverpool teammate Fabinho and brought goalkeeper Andre Onana back on loan from Manchester United.
Following the match, Tekke addressed reporters, stating his intention to resign after 18 months in charge. "I won't drag this out, effective immediately, I am resigning from my 18-month tenure," Tekke said, as reported by Fanatik. "I feel I have the right to impose this punishment on myself."
However, Trabzonspor issued a statement indicating that Tekke would remain in his position. "Fatih Tekke has decided to resign due to the emotional intensity caused by the defeat following the Ferencvaros match," the statement read. "As the Trabzonspor Board of Directors, our Fatih Tekke's resignation decision has not been accepted. Fatih Tekke continues in his role and will be at the helm of our team in the Amedspor match we will play in the league."
Salah has made four appearances for Trabzonspor since his summer move, having terminated his final year contract with Liverpool. He scored his first goals for the club last week, netting twice in a 2-0 victory over Basaksehir.