Dirk Kuyt Named Fenerbahce Interim Coach Ahead of Liverpool Clash

Dirk Kuyt has been appointed Fenerbahce's interim coach, a week before the Turkish club host his former club, Liverpool, in the Champions League. The 46-year-old steps up after Ismail Kartal resigned as manager following a 2-1 defeat by Galatasaray on Monday.

Kuyt had been Kartal's assistant. He will hold the interim post until Fenerbahce appoint a new head coach, and his first game in charge is a league match against Goztepe on Saturday. Fenerbahce's official statement confirmed the change.

The club are fifth in the Turkish top flight, six points behind leaders Galatasaray. There is still plenty of season left, but the gap is one the new coach will want to close quickly.

The Liverpool link is the reason the appointment is drawing attention beyond Turkey. Kuyt spent six years at Anfield, scoring 71 goals in 285 appearances, and won the League Cup there in 2012. The BBC reports that the two clubs meet on Wednesday 4 November at 17:45 GMT, in Fenerbahce's home game in the Champions League league phase. That is the opening stage of the competition, where clubs play a fixed list of opponents before the knockout rounds.

Kuyt knows Fenerbahce well from playing there, too. He won the Turkish league title with the club in 2013-14 and spent three years in Istanbul as a player before a spell at Feyenoord. He retired in 2017.

His coaching career started away from the big stage. He managed ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht, then rejoined Fenerbahce as an assistant in June 2026. Now he has the top job on an interim basis, and his first week includes a home game against the club where he won a League Cup and became a fan favourite.

For Fenerbahce supporters, the next few days will decide how the new arrangement is judged. For Liverpool supporters, the match will bring back memories of one of their former players, now standing on the other side of the touchline.