Antalyaspor Coach Leaves Citing Samuel Eto'o Among Problems
Ambitious Turkish top flight club Antalyaspor, which boasts a star-studded line-up including Samuel Eto'o and Samir Nasri, on Tuesday said it was parting company with manager Riza Calimbay after a dreadful start to the new season.
"Riza Calimbay has left us by mutual agreement. We thank him for all he has done for the club," Antalyapor said in a statement.
The club from the southern Turkish Mediterranean resort city, where former Cameroon international Eto'o is captain, had high hopes for the new season after signing Nasri from Manchester City.
But they are languishing third from bottom of the Super Lig, after two defeats and three draws in the first five games.
A 2-0 defeat away to Kayserispor on Friday sealed the fate of Calimbay, a former star player for Istanbul side Besiktas who took the reins at Antalyaspor in 2016.
Under chairman Ali Safak Ozturk, Antalyaspor are one of Turkey's most ambitious sides, despite only winning promotion to the Super Lig in 2015, and want to break the league domination of the Istanbul giants.
They were disappointed to finish the 2015-16 season in ninth place but improved to fifth place last term, just missing out on a spot in the Europa League.
At a parting news conference, Calimbay complained of difficult relations with Eto'o and of battling injury problems which have kept out key players this season like summer French signing Jeremy Menez.
"No-one wants to leave talking like this but unfortunately the conditions are such that you have to leave," he said, quoted by the NTV Spor website.
"Riza Calimbay has left us by mutual agreement. We thank him for all he has done for the club," Antalyapor said in a statement.
The club from the southern Turkish Mediterranean resort city, where former Cameroon international Eto'o is captain, had high hopes for the new season after signing Nasri from Manchester City.
But they are languishing third from bottom of the Super Lig, after two defeats and three draws in the first five games.
A 2-0 defeat away to Kayserispor on Friday sealed the fate of Calimbay, a former star player for Istanbul side Besiktas who took the reins at Antalyaspor in 2016.
Under chairman Ali Safak Ozturk, Antalyaspor are one of Turkey's most ambitious sides, despite only winning promotion to the Super Lig in 2015, and want to break the league domination of the Istanbul giants.
They were disappointed to finish the 2015-16 season in ninth place but improved to fifth place last term, just missing out on a spot in the Europa League.
At a parting news conference, Calimbay complained of difficult relations with Eto'o and of battling injury problems which have kept out key players this season like summer French signing Jeremy Menez.
"No-one wants to leave talking like this but unfortunately the conditions are such that you have to leave," he said, quoted by the NTV Spor website.
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