Şenol Güneş to replace Lucescu as Turkey boss - report
According to the latest claims asserted by national media outlets, Turkey's footbal body will replace Romanian manager Lucescu with Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş, who was the coach of national soccer team between 2002 and 2004 when the team finished third at the 2002 World Cup. Güneş will stay as Beşiktaş coach until at least the end of the season, the reports stated on Saturday.
- Sports
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 06:26 | 09 February 2019
- Modified Date: 08:19 | 09 February 2019
Şenol Güneş will return as Turkey coach, 15 years after his last spell in charge, broadcaster NTV said on Saturday, replacing current boss Mircea Lucescu.
Güneş, who was Turkey coach between 2002 and 2004 when the team finished third at the 2002 World Cup, will stay as Beşiktaş coach until at least the end of the season, the broadcaster said.
The NTV report said Güneş is expected to work with the national team for matches against Albania and Moldova in late March.
The 66-year-old has won the Turkish league twice with Beşiktaş. He has also coached Trabzonspor and Bursaspor.
Turkey have struggled under Romanian Lucescu and were relegated to League C in the UEFA Nations League after finishing bottom of their group.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) had previously appointed Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu in the summer of 2017 as the team's manager to succeed Fatih Terim who left his job after controversy over a street brawl with a restaurant owner.
Güneş, along with Abdullah Avcı, had declined the offer to coach the Turkish national side in 2017, and Lucescu instead took the opportunity.
73-year-old Lucescu, whose contract with the national team ends on June 30, 2019, has had a pretty rough season with only four victories, seven losses and six ties.