Kuyt Takes Over as Interim Coach at Fenerbahce

A former Liverpool player Dirk Kuyt has been named the interim head coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce. This comes after Ismail Kartal resigned from his position.

According to BBC Sport on Wednesday, Kuyt, who is 46 years old, takes on this role after being Kartal's assistant. The club stated he will stay in charge until they find a new head coach.

Kartal left after Fenerbahce lost 2-1 to their rivals Galatasaray on Monday. This loss left the team in fifth place in the Turkish league, six points behind the top team.

Kuyt's first match will be against Goztepe in the league on Saturday. After that, Fenerbahce will face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 4, at 17:45 GMT.

This match will bring Kuyt back to Liverpool, where he played for six years.

During his time at Liverpool, Kuyt scored 71 goals in 285 matches. He also helped the team win the League Cup in 2012 before he left Anfield.

Kuyt then spent three years at Fenerbahce, winning the Turkish league title in the 2013-14 season.

After his time at Fenerbahce, he returned to Feyenoord and retired from professional football in 2017.

After retiring, Kuyt started his coaching career. He managed ADO Den Haag, Beerschot, and FC Dordrecht before joining Fenerbahce as an assistant coach in June 2026.

Kartal had resigned earlier in September, but the club did not accept it then. This allowed him to stay in the position until he resigned again.

Kuyt now has the challenge of improving Fenerbahce's performance in the league while also preparing for a tough Champions League match against his old club.