İsmail Kartal: “All responsibility is mine, we disappointed our fans”

İsmail Kartal put the blame squarely on himself after Fenerbahçe’s 2-1 home defeat to Beşiktaş, saying the team had failed to meet expectations and disappointed its supporters.

“We could not respond to expectations. We disappointed our fans. All responsibility is mine,” Kartal said after the Süper Lig derby. He added that the team was sorry to have lost and apologized to its supporters.

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We could not respond to expectations. We disappointed our fans. All responsibility is mine.

Kartal said Fenerbahçe fell behind Beşiktaş in pressing from midfield and failed to control the ball. The team, he explained, normally relies on possession, but instead the match turned into a transition game. Fenerbahçe repeatedly played long passes, then allowed Beşiktaş to attack after losing possession.

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We apologize to our fans.

He said Kerem Aktürkoğlu had been used in a number 10 role to help chase the win, but the team struggled to recover after one lost ball and conceded the second goal. “We are responsible for the defeat. We are looking ahead,” Kartal said.

Kartal also addressed penalty decisions. He said four league rounds had brought four penalty incidents in which he believed Fenerbahçe should have been awarded spot kicks, but declined to comment further on the referee’s discretionary calls. He said the transfer committee had worked with input from the coaching staff and the club’s management on decisions including the Talisca matter.

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We are responsible for the defeat. We are looking ahead.