Turkey Sacks Stefan Kuntz Following Criticism Of Players

Turkey's soccer federation has made the decision to terminate coach Stefan Kuntz's contract after the German manager publicly criticized his players following the national team's friendly loss to Japan last week, as reported by the Demiroren News Agency (DHA) on Sunday. After Turkey's 4-2 defeat to Japan last Tuesday, Kuntz responded to fans' calls for his resignation by stating that his players needed to put in more effort and that he should not shoulder all the blame for the loss. He emphasized that his players should address criticism on the field rather than in post-match interviews, expressing disappointment that they were not giving their best performance. According to DHA, Kuntz's comments had a detrimental impact on his relationship with Turkey's Football Federation (TFF). On Sunday, the TFF reportedly informed Kuntz of their decision to part ways. It was also noted that Kuntz's contract, which was originally set to conclude after the Euro 2024 tournament, would be terminated. As of the weekend, there has been no official statement from the TFF regarding this matter. DHA indicated that the federation is planning to make an announcement regarding the decision on Tuesday. Stefan Kuntz, a former German striker who also played for the Turkish club Besiktas, was appointed as Turkey's national team coach in September 2021. Prior to this role, he had led the German Under-21 team to European titles in 2017 and 2021. During his tenure with the Turkish national team, Kuntz won 12 out of 20 matches, drew three, and lost five. DHA suggested that Kuntz's assistant, Kenan Kocak, might assume the role of managing the team in their Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia on October 12. Additionally, the TFF is considering the possibility of bringing back former coach Abdullah Avci or signing former Germany manager Joachim Loew.