ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey coach Stefan Kuntz has not been fired, the country’s football federation (TFF) said on Monday, denying reports it had decided to terminate his contract and adding that the German was simply called for a meeting with its chairman later this week.
The private Demiroren News Agency (DHA) said on Sunday that the TFF had decided to annul Kuntz’s contract, which is set to end after the Euro 2024 tournament, following the manager’s criticism of his players after a 4-2 defeat by Japan on Tuesday.
In a statement, the TFF said the reports circulating in the media about parting ways with Kuntz “did not reflect the truth”.
“The Turkish Football Federation has officially invited our National Team Head Coach Stefan Kuntz, whose contract continues, to a meeting with TFF Chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi on September 20, Wednesday,” it added.
Following the loss to Japan, 60-year-old Kuntz responded to fans’ calls for his resignation by saying his players needed to work harder and that he should not take all the blame.
Kuntz had said his players needed to respond to criticism on the field, not “in post-match interviews”, and added that he was upset they were not putting in their best performance.
Former Germany striker Kuntz, who also played for Besiktas, was appointed Turkey coach in September 2021 after leading the German Under-21 team to the European title in 2017 and 2021.
Turkey have won 12 of Kuntz’s 20 matches in charge, drawn three and lost five.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Michael Perry and Ken Ferris)
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