Kuyt named Fenerbahce interim boss before Liverpool tie

What the report says

Former Netherlands striker Dirk Kuyt has been named Fenerbahce’s interim head coach, taking charge a week before the Turkish club meet Liverpool in the Champions League. BBC Sport reports that the 46-year-old steps up after Ismail Kartal resigned following Fenerbahce’s 2-1 defeat by Galatasaray. The club said Kuyt will remain in the role until a permanent coach is appointed.

Kuyt’s first match in charge will be a league game against Goztepe on Saturday, before Fenerbahce host Liverpool in a Champions League group-stage fixture on Wednesday, 4 November. The appointment creates an immediate link back to his former clubs: Kuyt spent six seasons at Liverpool, where he scored 71 goals in 285 appearances and won the League Cup in 2012, and he also won the Turkish league title with Fenerbahce in 2013-14.

He retired as a player in 2017 after spells with Feyenoord and Fenerbahce, and has since held coaching roles at ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht before joining Fenerbahce’s staff in June. The change comes with Fenerbahce fifth in the Turkish top flight and six points behind leaders Galatasaray. In general terms, the timing adds extra interest because Kuyt will now lead Fenerbahce into a European match against one of his best-known former teams.