Turkiye sack coach Montella after Nations League woe

ISTANBUL - Vincenzo Montella, the head coach of Turkiye, was dismissed on Friday after a series of disappointing Nations League performances. The Turkish Football Federation announced that they would not continue with Montella as their head coach. Turkiye has suffered a loss in every match of the Nations League so far, facing France, Belgium, and twice against Italy.

Montella was appointed in September 2023 and brought some initial success, leading Turkiye to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, where they were defeated by the Netherlands. Despite fielding talented players such as Hakan Calhanoglu from Inter Milan, Arda Guler of Real Madrid, and Kenan Yildiz from Juventus, Turkiye's results have declined recently.

The team was the first to be eliminated from this summer's World Cup, despite a win against their co-hosts, the United States, in their final group match. Montella, 52, has a previous coaching background with Italian clubs Fiorentina, Sampdoria, and AC Milan, as well as the Spanish club Sevilla. Turkiye will face Belgium in a Nations League match on November 12 before traveling to France three days later.