Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş parted ways with their Dutch head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Saturday as the Istanbul giants grapple with poor results and internal turmoil.
The sacking comes after the Black Eagles lost to Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-1 in the league UEFA Europa League on Thursday and a below-par run in the league.
The 49-year-old had signed a two-year contract with the Black Eagles, along with a one-year option to extend back in June.
He previously led Feyenoord to the Dutch top-tier league Eredivisie title in 2015-16 season.
Van Bronckhorst then took the helm at the Rangers in Scotland in 2021, only to leave in November 2022 after winning the 2021-22 Scottish Cup.
Beşiktaş have been longing for Turkish Süper Lig league title since the 2020-21 season.
Internal turmoil
One of Türkiye’s traditional Big Four football clubs, Beşiktaş have been shaken by internal turmoil, with club chairman Hasan Arat resigning last Friday.
“Dear Beşiktaş community, Today, with an indescribable sadness in my heart, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position as the President of Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club due to personal reasons,” Hasan Arat said in a statement on the club’s official website.
“From now on, I will always be honored to support my club as a fan …” he added.
Beşiktaş earlier endured a tough week in the domestic league, facing a surprising setback against Göztepe in the Süper Lig.
The disappointment was only compounded by the UEFA Europa League defeat.
They are sixth with 21 points in the Turkish top-tier and 22nd with six points in the Europa League.
Arat, 65, was elected as the new president of Beşiktaş at an extraordinary general assembly meeting in December 2023.