Turkish Football Federation Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has backed coach Vincenzo Montella and the players despite the team's early World Cup exit.
"We will stand by the coach of this team as well as the players. This is not a club. If you look at the club teams, it is precisely this lack of continuity that leads to failure. You can’t just send 15 players away and bring in 15 new ones," Haciosmanoglu said.
Turkey lost their first match 2-0 against Australia and a 1-0 defeat against Paraguay means they are eliminated before the final match against against co-hosts United States who have won the group.
Turkey went out despite having star players such as Real Madrid's Arda Güler, Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz and captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu of Inter Milan.
Montella has been in charge since 2023 and led the team to the World Cup for the first time since 2002.
“You can’t sack the coach and bring in a new one. You can’t dismiss the chairman and appoint a new one. That’s why we stand by our players,” Haciosmanoglu said.
“We will never swap those with whom we have travelled this path for others we meet along the way.”
He said the Turkish people will stand by the coach and the team and “after that, these lads will bring us the same successes again.”
