Fenerbahce have turned to a man who knows both sides of next week's biggest game. Dirk Kuyt has been named interim coach of the Turkish club, and seven days after he takes charge he will sit in the home dugout against Liverpool, the team he served for six years.
How the Job Opened Up
Kuyt, 46, was working as an assistant to Ismail Kartal. Kartal resigned after Fenerbahce lost 2-1 to Galatasaray on Monday, a defeat to their fiercest rivals that left the club fifth in the Turkish top flight and six points behind the leaders. It was not the first time he had tried to go. Kartal also offered his resignation in September, but the club did not accept it then and he stayed on.
This time the board let him leave. Fenerbahce said Kuyt will hold the post "until a new head coach is appointed", wording that makes clear nobody should read too much into the title yet. He is a caretaker for now, and the search for a permanent name carries on in the background.
A Short Coaching Record, A Long History at the Club
Kuyt only joined the Fenerbahce staff as an assistant in June 2026, so he has been inside the building for a matter of months. Before that he held jobs at ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht. It is a modest managerial CV, and the step up to a club of this size, with this much pressure, is steep.
What he does have is knowledge of the place. He won the Turkish league title with Fenerbahce as a player in 2013-14 and spent three years there before a spell at Feyenoord and retirement in 2017. Supporters who remember that side may give him more patience than they would give an outsider. Patience, though, runs out quickly in Istanbul when results go wrong.
Goztepe First, Then Anfield's Old Boy Returns
The schedule gives him almost no time to settle. His first match in charge is a league fixture against Goztepe on Saturday. Then comes Wednesday 4 November, when Fenerbahce host Liverpool in a Champions League group stage tie, kick-off 17:45 GMT.
For Liverpool fans the pairing carries a nice twist. Kuyt scored 71 goals in 285 appearances for the Reds and won the League Cup with them in 2012. He also won 104 caps for the Netherlands. Liverpool supporters will remember him well, and now he will be trying to beat his old club from the other touchline.
It is a hard way to start a coaching career at the top end of the game. A good result against Goztepe would calm things before the Liverpool visit. A bad one would hand him a European night with the crowd already restless. Either way, Kuyt will learn quickly whether this job is a stepping stone or a short, tough lesson.
Club context: Fenerbahce are fifth in the Turkish top flight, six points behind leaders Galatasaray. Next fixtures: Goztepe (league, Saturday), then Liverpool (Champions League, 4 November, 17:45 GMT). Source reporting: BBC Sport.
0 Comments