Kuyt takes interim charge at Fenerbahce ahead of Liverpool clash
Dirk Kuyt has been named Fenerbahce's interim coach after Ismail Kartal's resignation, with a Champions League meeting against his former club Liverpool coming next week.
Dirk Kuyt has been appointed interim coach of Fenerbahce, stepping up from his assistant role a week before the Turkish side host his former club Liverpool in a Champions League group stage tie. The club said the 46-year-old Dutchman will hold the position until a new head coach is appointed.
The change follows the resignation of Ismail Kartal after Fenerbahce's 2-1 defeat by arch rivals Galatasaray on Monday. According to the article, Kartal had previously stepped down in September but remained in the job when that resignation was not accepted.
Kuyt's first match in charge is a league fixture against Goztepe on Saturday, before the Liverpool game on Wednesday, 4 November at 17:45 GMT. He knows the Anfield club well from six years there, during which he won the League Cup in 2012 and scored 71 goals in 285 appearances.
The former Netherlands forward also has ties to Fenerbahce as a player, having won the Turkish league title with the club in 2013-14. His playing career included a later spell at Feyenoord before he retired in 2017.
Before returning to Fenerbahce as assistant, Kuyt held managerial posts at ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht. He takes over a side sitting fifth in the Turkish top flight, six points behind leaders Galatasaray, adding pressure to an already significant week with the Liverpool tie looming.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
