Galatasaray parts ways with coach Denizli

ISTANBUL

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Galatasaray, which lost 2-0 against lowly Gaziantepspor over the weekend and is now 16 points behind Turkish Super League leaders Fenerbahçe, announced yesterday that it has part ways with coach Mustafa Denizli. 

The Lions were also knocked out of the Europa League last week.  

Denizli has resigned from last year’s league champions after a three-month spell with the troubled Istanbul club. He had taken charge in November 2015 after former coach Hamza Hamzaoğlu stayed less than a year at the helm. 

Denizli, 66, previously managed the Turkish national team for four years and reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2000. 

He has also won three domestic league titles with each of Istanbul’s arch-rivals – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.

To compound Galatasaray’s tough season, the club may be given a ban from continental competition from Europe’s ruling body UEFA later this week over its failure to follow financial fair play rules.