Fenerbahçe have appointed Emre Belözoğlu as their new head coach, the club confirmed Tuesday evening, ending a search that began when İsmail Kartal resigned from the post last Tuesday, Sudinfo reported. Former Liverpool midfielder Dirk Kuyt will sit on the bench for Wednesday’s Champions League home match against Liverpool before handing over to Belözoğlu.
Belözoğlu, 46, is a former Turkey international with 101 caps, and he knows Fenerbahçe intimately as a player: he wore the club’s shirt from 2008 to 2012, again from 2013 to 2015, and once more in the 2019-2020 season. He also began his coaching career at the club in 2021, serving as interim head coach for 10 matches. Most recently, he had been coaching Kasımpaşa since December 2025.
Kartal’s resignation opens the door
İsmail Kartal stepped down on Tuesday, a week after the club’s most recent league match, leaving the Dutch assistant Dirk Kuyt to take charge on an interim basis. Kuyt’s first match in charge ended in a 1-2 league defeat to Göztepe, according to Sudinfo.
The appointment of Belözoğlu as Fenerbahçe’s new coach means Romelu Lukaku now knows who will lead the club, with Dirk Kuyt serving as interim before Belözoğlu takes over.
Kuyt takes the bench against Liverpool
Sudinfo reported that Kuyt will coach Wednesday’s Champions League reception of Liverpool at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and then step aside for Belözoğlu. The Dutchman has a direct history with both clubs in this tie: he played three seasons for Fenerbahçe after leaving Liverpool, where he had been a key midfielder, and between 2023 and 2025 he coached Beerschot in Belgium, winning the Challenger Pro League title there, dhnet.be reported.
dhnet.be, citing Turkish media, framed the arrangement differently: it described Kuyt as the interim coach for Fenerbahçe’s upcoming matches while the club works its way out of crisis, with his situation to be reevaluated at the international break. Under that account, Kuyt could remain in charge beyond the Liverpool match, with fixtures against Göztepe and Çorum also on the schedule before the break.
Where Fenerbahçe stand in the Super Lig
The coaching change arrives with Fenerbahçe fifth in the Turkish Super Lig, six points behind league leaders Galatasaray, dhnet.be reported. The club’s next fixtures are decisive for Lukaku’s side: a league match against Göztepe, the Champions League home game against Liverpool, and a league trip to Çorum, before the international break.
What comes next for Lukaku’s Fenerbahçe
If Sudinfo’s account holds, Belözoğlu takes over immediately after Wednesday night’s match against Liverpool. If dhnet.be’s reporting proves correct, Kuyt could continue through the international break, with a formal decision on his future due at that point.
What is not yet known is when Belözoğlu will officially lead his first match, and whether Kuyt’s interim role extends beyond the Champions League night in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe’s next confirmed fixture is the Champions League home match against Liverpool on Wednesday.
