Fenerbahçe signs coach Ersun Yanal

ISTANBUL

Struggling Spor Toto Super League club Fenerbahçe has agreed to a one-and-a-half year contract with former Turkish national team coach Ersun Yanal, the Istanbul club announced on Dec. 14.

“Our club has agreed to a 1.5-year deal with Ersun Yanal, who coached our team in the 2013-2014 season and led our Fenerbahçe to the league title, for the coaching post of the football team,” the club said in a written statement.

“We say to Ersun Yanal, who joined our Fenerbahçe family by signing the contract last night, welcome home, hoping to have much success together,” the cub added.

The announcement Yanal’s appointment came a day after Fenerbhaçe ended its Europa League campaign with a frustrating 1-0 loss at Spartak Trnava on Dec. 12.

The team, which started the season with Dutch coach Phillip Cocu after Ali Koç ended Aziz Yıldırım’s 20-year reign as the club president last May, currently sits in the relegation zone, one spot over cellar-dweller Rizespor.

With just three wins in the first 15 weeks, the pressure will be on the new coach when Fenerbahçe takes on Erzurumspor, which is one spot above its opponent on same points, at home on Dec. 17.

Beşiktaş knocked out

While Fenerbahçe’s loss in the Europa League did not hurt its campaign, as it had already advanced, but its city rival Beşiktaş suffered a shock loss at home on the same night to be knocked out of the competition.

The 1-0 loss against Malmö meant that Beşiktaş finished its group in third place, failing to join Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe in the Europa League round of 32.

Hoping to recover from that shock, Beşiktaş plays Trabzonspor at home in the Spor Toto Super League on Dec. 16.