Istanbul giants Besiktas have parted company with their coach Abdullah Avci after a series of poor results, the club said on Friday. "Our board of directors decided to part ways with manager Abdullah Avci," the club said in a brief statement. The move comes after Besiktas were dumped out of the Turkish Cup by second division Erzurumspor this week. The 56-year-old made his name at Basaksehir, growing the club into the "fourth giant" of Istanbul, rivalling Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. Respected in Turkey for his steely calm and tactical ingenuity, the former striker coached the national team between 2011 and 2013.

Source: Punch January 24, 2020 19:41 UTC