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Tag: Fenerbahce

  • Kante joins Fenerbahce after deal revival

    Kante joins Fenerbahce after deal revival

    Fenerbahce have confirmed the signing of France midfielder N’Golo Kante from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

    The Frenchman’s hopes of joining the Turkish club appeared to be over on Tuesday, when Fenerbahce released a statement blaming Al-Ittihad for the collapse of the the move.

    Fenerbahce claimed Al-Ittihad failed to file the necessary paperwork to complete the transfer, which involves Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri moving in the opposite direction.

    However, Fenerbahce confirmed on Wednesday that the issue had been resolved and that former Chelsea player Kante had joined the club after two and a half years in Saudi Arabia.

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    Kante, 34, joined Al-Ittihad from Chelsea in 2023, having won the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup with the London side.

    He joined the Blues from Leicester City in 2016, having guided the Foxes to the Premier League trophy the previous season.

    En-Nesyri, 28, is a replacement for former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who left the club earlier this week to join Saudi Pro rivals Al-Hilal.

    BBC

  • Galatasaray plot Osayi-Samuel transfer from Fenerbahce

    Galatasaray plot Osayi-Samuel transfer from Fenerbahce

    Reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray are plotting a move for Super Eagles defender Bright Osayi-Samuel at the end of the season, Soccernet.ng reports.

    Osayi-Samuel has been impressive for Fenerbahce since he moved to the club for €508,000 three years ago. The versatile Nigerian defender has been quite reliable from his right-back position, helping the club to the Turkish Cup two years ago.

    Fenerbahce are in real danger of losing Osayi-Samuel, as his contract expires at the end of the season. The Turkish giants have made several efforts to convince him to sign a new deal, but he has remained adamant, as he wants bigger pay.

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    Meanwhile, reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray appear to be monitoring the situation. And according to Depar Sports, they are interested in signing Osayi-Samuel when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

    Now, this is quite big due to the peculiar nature of the Turkish football terrain. Fenerbahce and Galatasaray － both Istanbul clubs－ have one of the most brutal rivalries in club football.

    If Fenerbahce do not get Osayi-Samuel to sign a new deal, they would do everything possible to stop him from joining their biggest rivals.

  • Fenerbahce, Galatasaray rivalry spills over onto basketball court

    Fenerbahce, Galatasaray rivalry spills over onto basketball court

    Fenerbahce’s basketball team said they would not release their players for international duty after the coach of Turkey’s national side showed his support for fierce footballing rivals Galatasaray.

    National basketball team coach Ergin Ataman, who also coaches Greek side Panathinaikos, held up three fingers on one hand and one on the other in reference to Galatasaray’s 3-1 Super Lig win at Fenerbahce on Saturday.

    In a post on Instagram, Ataman said the gesture, which he made in a friendly basketball match on Tuesday between Panathinaikos and Galatasaray, was “unplanned”.

    “I certainly did not intend to target or offend any community when I made this gesture,” said the 58-year-old, who also previously coached Galatasaray.

    “I am a coach who expresses my respect for the Fenerbahce community at every opportunity, but underlines that I am one of their biggest rivals on the field.”

    Fenerbahce said they did not accept Ataman’s apology.

    “This act is a great disrespect to our community, to the dignity of the national team coach and even to our country for the sake of favour ing a community,” Fenerbahce said in a statement.

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    “The apology statement made by him to our community is ignored by us.

    “We inform the public that we have decided not to send any athletes to our men’s national team for the duration of his tenure in this position, which requires indispensable qualities such as ‘dignity and impartiality’.”

    Fenerbahce’s football coach Jose Mourinho was also unhappy with his Galatasaray counterpart Okan Buruk on Wednesday.

    Mourinho did not take part in the post-match press conference on Saturday after having to wait over an hour for Buruk to finish his.

    “In 24 years of football, I never in my life escaped from a press conference, especially after a defeat,” he told reporters.

    “I understand the coach of an away team going to the press conference first, but there have to be certain limits. Seventy minutes, I’m sorry, but it’s a lack of respect.

    “So if anybody felt disrespected, I am the one that felt disrespected.”

  • Chelsea to Fenerbahce: Raise your bid on Moses or forget permanent deal

     

    Turkish side Fenerbahce have been told to dig their hands deep into the pocket if they wish to have Nigerian international Victor Moses  for keeps as the €5million (about N2-1 billion) they placed on the table is not enough.

    Premier league side Chelsea who recently dispatched the Super Eagles ace to Turkey in what could be dubbed a continuation of his series of loan deals, rejected the bid insisting that the Moses who has previous been on loan sojourn to Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham is far worth more than that.

    According to sports news website Ajansspor, the Istanbul-based side offered a fee of €5million which was quickly rejected by the Blues. Fenerbahce, who have Moses on loan until the end of the season, are now left with the option of increasing the bid if the desire to keep the 28 year old who became an instant hit on arrival at the club.

    The report added that the Turkish club’s sporting director Damien Comolli is expected to go to England to meet face to face with the Chelsea executives and thrash out a deal.

    Comolli, who previously worked at Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, played a key role in convincing Moses to join Fenerbahce in the January transfer window.

    Moses, who announced his retirement from international football shortly after the world cup in Russia, has been on the books of Chelsea since 2012 but a failure to win favour under current manager Maurizio Sarri suggests his future lies elsewhere.

    The former Crystal Palace and wigan Athletic ace was a key figure under previous manager Antonio Conte, who deployed a 3-4-3 system which allowed Moses to thrive as an adapted right wingback. However, under Sarri’s 4-3-3 formation the Nigerian is not suited to a fullback role and faces stiff competition to play on the right side of attack from Pedro and Willian.

    His contract with the Blues runs until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

    Although Moses announced he was quitting the national team to enable him concentrate on club assignment, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr who believes that the retirement was coming too early in the day, said the door remains open should he decide to make a U-turn.

    Moses who joined the Turkish side in January has so far made eight appearances for the side netting two goals.

  • Fenerbahce coach reveals why Moses was substituted

    Fenerbahce coach Ersun Yanal has refused to criticise Victor Moses over his performance in the first half against Besiktas in the Istanbul derby on Monday night.

    ”Football is a team sport, my speech at half-time was not the only reason. Everybody must show a reaction. We have players with international experience, we need them to react. I did not bring Moses or Isla out of the game because they played badly, the team needed a change,” Yanal said to Fenerbahce’s official website.

    In truth, Moses struggled for the first time since his arrival in Turkey but the Yellow Canaries gaffer has defended the Chelsea loanee, saying it was a tactical decision to change the left winger.

    Fenerbahce scored three goals in the space of 12 minutes in the second half as they came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Besiktas at Vodafone Park.

    Moses has yet to go the distance in a Turkish Super Lig match since he debuted off the bench against Yeni Malatyaspor.

  • Int’l friendly: Fans decry NFF’s inability to broadcast match live

    Nigerians on Friday took to twitter to vent their anger for the failure of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and television stations to broadcast live the Super Eagles friendly match against Senegal.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fenerbahçe striker Moussa Sow opened scoring in the 53rd minute for the Teranga Lions of Senegal.

    But Manchester City’s youngster Kelechi Iheanacho, rescued a draw for Nigeria when he struck from the spot in the 81st minute.

    Some of the fans who were left fuming after the game also complained about their inability to access a live streaming link which had been shared by some officials of the NFF.

    Justice Prince said on his twitter handle that “such a match like Nigeria vs Senegal wasn’t on TV. Africa’s heavyweight. Isokay. Una #wehdone’’

    Wilson Jnr said: “It’s pathetic, even Supersports didn’t show our match…#NIG VS SEN’’.

    Favour Onyeoziri said: “So, you mean not even one TV station aired the Nigeria vs Senegal match?

    “One website even told me to pay N500 to stream the Nigeria vs Senegal match live. After paying, which network will I use to stream? AT&T?”

    Oma Akatugba said: “I absolutely enjoyed Nigeria vs Senegal but I didn’t watch it.’’

    For Yerekimea Tonbra, “Mr Pinnick just failed his KPI with the Nigeria Vs Senegal match, Nigerians couldn’t watch their national team in action and there was no commentary sef’’.

    Attamah Ifeanyi wrote: “I think it is pathetic considering how huge a football-loving nation Nigeria is. Not even a single TV station covered the Nigeria VS Senegal match!’’.

    Also, John Raul said: “No one in the most populated country in Africa watched the game! Shame #NGASEN.

    Meanwhile, one of the sites platforms which had internet broadcast rights have apologised for its failure to satisfy its clients.

    The apology letter on its site read: “Dear esteemed customers, we regret our inability to broadcast the Nigeria vs Senegal football match which was slated for 9 p.m. Nigerian time on March 23, 2017.

    “This was as a result of technical hitches experienced in getting the signals to us from our London technical partners.

    “Please be assured that full refunds of fees paid on our platform wwwurlivestream.com to watch the match will be paid within the next seven working days.

    “Once again, we are really sorry,’’ it said.

     

  • Hull talking with Fenerbahce over Emenike

    Hull talking with Fenerbahce over Emenike

    Hull City have made an enquiry for Fenerbahce striker, Emmanuel Emenike, a source close to the Istanbul giants revealed to Turkish-Football.com.
    The Tigers want Emenike on a loan but Fenerbahce are keen on a permanent move for the Nigerian international.
    Fenerbahce manager Dick Advocaat has told Emenike that he is free to leave over the January transfer window.
    Emenike is no stranger to Premier League football having spent last season on loan at West Ham.
    The powerful striker struggled at the Hammers scoring just four times in 19 appearances.
    Emenike also has experience playing top tier football in Turkey, Russia playing for Fenerbahce and Spartak Moscow.
    The 29-year-old, who has scored seven goals and has four assists for Fenerbahce in 20 appearances this season, is keen on a return to the Premier League and Hull City have been struggling for goals this season.
    The Tigers are currently in 18th place and have scored just 20 goals in the Premier League this season. Only Middlesbrough have found the back of the net fewer times than Hull City (17).

  • Swansea 1-3 Man United: Red Devils destroy Swans

    Swansea 1-3 Man United: Red Devils destroy Swans

    A brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a goal from Paul Pogba helped Manchester United return to winning ways in the Premier League courtesy of a 3-1 victory over struggling Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

    Jose Mourinho made six changes to the side beaten by Fenerbahce in midweek, but the manager was forced to watch on from the stands as he served his one-match touchline ban after being sent off against Burnley last weekend.

    It was one of the five to keep their place that almost gave United a lead after less than two minutes when Wayne Rooney – now just two goals short of Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time record for the club – curled an early effort narrowly past the far post.

    Paul Pogba broke the deadlock for the visitors before a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent them into the halfway stage with a deservedly convincing lead, and they held out despite a Mike van der Hoorn consolation to condemn Swansea to a 10th straight Premier League match without a win.

    It is now 10 league games without a win since the opening day of the season for Swansea and just one point from a possible 12 in charge for Bradley ahead of their meeting with Everton after the international break.

    With this win Manchester United have avoid making their worst start to a Premier League campaign courtesy of the victory, climbing up to  sixth in the Premier League table with their first away league win since August.

  • Pogba injured, doubtful for Swansea clash

    Pogba injured, doubtful for Swansea clash

    Football most expensive player Paul Pogba is doubtful for Manchester United’s Premier League trip to Swansea City on Sunday after he limped off during the Europa League game against Fenerbahce.

    The Frenchman seemed to injure his thigh in a tackle with Brazilian midfielder Souza and he expressed his frustration by punching the ground before getting back to his feet.

    Pogba tried to shake off the knock and played on, even managing to create enough space for himself to fashion United’s first shot on target – albeit an effort comfortably saved by Volkan Demirel. However, on the half-hour mark he signalled to the bench that he felt unable to carry on and he was replaced by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

    With Ander Herrera suspended after his sending-off against Burnley last weekend, the Reds could have some problems in midfield ahead of the return to domestic action. It will therefore be intriguing to see if Jose Mourinho calls on the services of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has just returned to training with the first-team squad.

    There was no official update on Pogba’s condition before the squad flew home from Istanbul but if he is ruled out for the weekend, he will join existing absentees Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia on the sidelines.

  • Fenerbahce 2–1 Man Utd: Pogba injured as Emenike enjoys win

    Fenerbahce 2–1 Man Utd: Pogba injured as Emenike enjoys win

    Emmanuel Emenike was on the winning side as Turkish giants Fenerbahce defeated Manchester United 2-1 in the Europa Cup match played this evening.

    Senegalese international Moussa Sow gave the visitors the lead inside the first two minutes as he met a delightful cross from Hasan Ali Kaldirim with a sensational overhead kick from just the edge of the box to make it 1-0.

    The Red Devils lost Paul Pogba in the first half as he went down under a heavy challenge from Souza and was replaced by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

    Fenerbahce won a freekick on the edge of the United box and Lens curled the ball past David de Gea. Jose Mourinho immediately sent on Henrik Mkhitaryan for youngster Marcus Rashford.

    Fenerbahce substitue, Emmanuel Emenike was through on goal just seconds after his introduction from the bench, but the former Nigeria international could not take the ball in his stride and was eventually denied by a mixture of Daley Blind and De Gea.

    Emenike continued to look the most likely on the break as Fenerbahce went in search of a killer third goal, but he was once again kept out by De Gea before falling agonisingly short of tapping home a low cross from Lens at the far post.

    Those missed opportunities almost came back to haunt Dick Advocaat’s side when Rooney drilled a 25-yard piledriver into the top corner with just one minute left of normal time, moving within two goals of Sir Bobby Charlton in United’s all-time goalscoring list and level with Ruud van Nistelrooy as the club’s top scorer in European competition with 38.