Montella backed by federation after World Cup group-stage exit

Montella stays, federation backs him

The World Cup exit changed nothing at the top. Turkish Football Federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu has publicly backed Vincenzo Montella to continue as manager. Türkiye went out in the group stage, a brutal result for a squad worth €473.7 million and fresh off a Euro 2024 quarter-final. But the federation is not making a change. The decision is made.

Dead rubber against the United States

One more match, nothing at stake. Türkiye face the United States in the final Group D fixture, and the only real question is who gets rotated in. Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız could sit. The US might hand Alex Zendejas his World Cup debut. Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal has the whistle.

Fan-reaktioner

Fans are not hiding the pain. A post on r/soccer listing Japan's knockout-round failures drew a knowing nod from Turkish supporters, the 2002 loss to Türkiye sits right at the top of that list. The mood is grim, and the comparisons to other underachieving sides are not helping. See the thread.