TFF President: We won't replace Montella with random encounters

The Turkish national team lost 0-1 to Paraguay in the second match of the 2026 World Cup group stage, prematurely losing their chance to reach the playoffs. Following this unexpected failure and rising criticism of head coach Vincenzo Montella, Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu openly voiced his support for the Italian specialist.

Stability is the guarantee of success

In an interview with A Spor, the Federation head emphasized that the atmosphere in the national team differs from that in clubs and that the coach would not be replaced in haste. In his view, failures in many teams stem precisely from a lack of systemic stability.

"We support our coach. This is not a club. It is precisely the lack of stability in clubs that often leads to failures. In the last two days, various coaches' names have been mentioned in the press, but we will not replace someone we are walking the path with for people we happen to meet along the way," said Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu.

Positive conclusions from failure

Hacıosmanoğlu noted that luck also plays a significant role in football and that it is wrong to strip a coach of their ambition simply because they couldn't capitalize on situations or made simple mistakes. Despite the defeat, he did not hide his belief in the team's future.

"The coach can be criticized tactically, but not because the ball went past the post. In any negative situation, there is a positive aspect, so we will not stop and will keep moving forward," the TFF head concluded.