Turkey have appointed Sergen Yalcin as head coach on a four-year contract to replace the sacked Italian Vincenzo Montella, the country’s football federation (TFF) announced on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old former Turkey midfielder steps into the job following Montella’s dismissal earlier this month after a difficult Uefa Nations League campaign.
Turkey sit bottom of Group A1 after four consecutive losses, having also suffered a group stage exit from the 2026 World Cup.
“We wish Yalcin success in his new role and hope this decision proves auspicious for our country and our national team,” the TFF said in a statement.
A prominent figure in Turkish football, Yalcin won 37 caps from 1994 to 2003, featured at Euro 1996 and Euro 2000 and played for Besiktas, Fenerbahce, and Galatasaray.
As a manager, Yalcin guided Besiktas to a domestic double of Super Lig and Turkish Cup in the 2020–21 season. He ended a second stint in charge of Besiktas in May.
Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for 30 days and fined €255 by the Disciplinary Committee of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) for walking out of the national team’s
Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) for leaving Portugal’s training camp after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus, a punishment that will expire in time for him to be available for the national team’s November matches.
The disciplinary council of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) imposed the punishment on Monday and confirmed that Ronaldo admitted the accusation in full.
Ronaldo walked out of the squad’s camp in Copenhagen on September 30, the day Portugal faced Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.
Ronaldo’s stated reason was that coach Jorge Jesus had twice broken his word about his role in the team, after he did not come on in the match against Norway, where he was a substitute. Jesus denied having reached an agreement with Ronaldo but left the door open to his return after Portugal’s 2-1 victory on September 27.
The rules allow a suspension of one to six months, but the ceiling drops to three when a player accepts responsibility. Ronaldo did, and his 30-day ban reflects that admission. Alongside the ban, the council ordered him to pay 255 euros, a sum worth about 285 dollars.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been fined €255 (£215; $286) and given a 30-day suspension after exiting the Portugal national team camp early.
The disciplinary body determined that Ronaldo intentionally committed an infringement under article 160, paragraph 1, of the federation’s regulations. The procedure opened on October 9, based on facts reported two days earlier. His suspension was counted from September 30, the day he left, so he has already served 19 days and has 11 remaining. In practice, he was sidelined from the moment he abandoned the camp, well before Monday’s formal ruling.
In its statement, the disciplinary committee said Ronaldo “did not previously communicate or justify, before the person responsible for the FPF or the national team, his intention to abandon” the concentration on September 30. The former Real Madrid striker later told Federation President Pedro Proença that he was not “in emotional conditions to continue.”
A few days after leaving, Ronaldo posted a lengthy statement on his official Instagram account explaining his reasons and asking fans to believe him: “Believe me, this is the pure truth.”
“Despite the absolute lack of trust in the coach’s word, as anyone who witnessed these conversations can attest, I should not have done it. The responsibility is exclusively mine,” he said.
Ronaldo received the minimum penalty provided by the FPF’s rules. For abandoning national team activity, the regulations call for a penalty of between one and six months, although the maximum in this case would be reduced to three months because the player admitted guilt.
Return Possible in November
The timing of the ban means Ronaldo will be eligible for Portugal’s next Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Wales on November 14 and 17. Both the captain and the coach have left the door open for his inclusion in that squad. With only 11 days of the suspension left, the 41-year-old could rejoin the group before those matches.
The sanction resolves a dispute that had hung over the national team since the September window. Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in that period, with Ronaldo watching from the bench. He departed before the following match against Denmark and played no part in either fixture. His absence, however, did not settle the questions about his relationship with the coach, which the federation has now addressed through its ruling.
For Ronaldo, the outcome is a light one. The 255-euro fine is a small sum for a player of his profile, and the suspension expires before his country’s next competitive matches. The federation acted at the lowest end of its disciplinary scale, allowing the captain to return without missing further competitive action. Portugal’s November fixtures will now show whether the dispute is truly closed or merely paused.
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