Kazım Ersun Yanal (, born 17 December 1961) is a Turkish football coach who last managed
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
club
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and ...
. His style has always been attacking football doubled up with tactics unprecedented in
Turkish Football
Football is the most popular sport in Turkey, followed by basketball, tracing its roots to the Ottoman Empire. The first matches were played in Ottoman Salonica in 1875. The sport was introduced by English residents. The Turkish football league ...
, featuring a new scientific understanding of the game. He enjoys a very respectable place amongst Turkish coaches having only won a single title.
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
2–1 on aggregate after extra-time in the second leg. He also twice lost the final of the
Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup (Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
to
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
in 2003 and 2004. In April 2004 he was appointed as head coach of the Turkish National Team. Yanal's tactics showed their fruit immediately as
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
won the Friendships Cup after beating Australia 3–1 and 1–0. Yanal's successful run was ended by South-Korea after a 2–1 defeat. His job was to secure qualification for the
2006 World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...
but despite being on target to achieving this goal, sitting in second place in the qualifying group, he was dismissed in June 2005 to be replaced by
Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish association football manager and former player. He is the former manager of Galatasaray, a position he previously held four times.
Terim has managed several clubs in Italy (Milan and Fiorentina) ...
, who couldn't lead the team to the finals in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. Yanal was named new manager of
Manisaspor
Manisaspor is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Manisa. Originally formed in 1931 as Sakaryaspor, the club changed its name to Manisaspor on 15 June 1965.2005–06 season. At the end of the winter break in the 2006–07 season, the club were flying high in fourth position. However, they could not keep up the results, finishing in 12th place, four points away from relegation. Yanal parted company with
Manisaspor
Manisaspor is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Manisa. Originally formed in 1931 as Sakaryaspor, the club changed its name to Manisaspor on 15 June 1965.Sakaryaspor
Sakaryaspor Kulübü Derneği is a Turkish professional football club, formed in 1965 after the merger of ''Adapazarı Gençlerbirliği'', ''Adapazarı İdman Yurdu'', ''Güneşspor'' and ''Ada Gençlik''. The club is better known as Sakaryaspor ...
was abandoned following on field violence. In October 2007 he was signed by
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
to take over from Ziya Doğan, signing a three-year deal at the club. In April 2009 he resigned his job from
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
. He has been the General Director of the
Turkish Football Federation
The Turkish Football Federation (; TFF) is the governing body of association football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkey national football team, the Süper Lig, Turk ...
, since March 2010. On 4 October he was resigned from this job.
2013–
On 28 June 2013, Yanal has agreed to take charge of Fenerbahçe, replacing
Aykut Kocaman
Aykut Kocaman (, born 5 April 1965) is a former Turkish footballer, who played as a striker. He is the former manager of İstanbul Başakşehir. Before he made his debut 1980 with the amateur club Kabataş Altınmızrak in Istanbul, Kocaman perf ...
who resigned at the end of May, the club said on Friday. His appointment coincides with tough times for the Fenerbahçe who have been banned from European competition for two seasons over their alleged involvement in a domestic match-fixing scandal. Fenerbahçe, who finished second in the
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
last season, will miss out on next season's Champions League which they had been due to enter in the third qualifying round. On 1 July 2013, Fenerbahçe opened new season with training session. Yanal, addressing his players, said the absolute goal was winning the
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
championship. “I have gotten to know you. You will get to know me and we will get to know each other much better. Let's keep our eyes on the prize and hope for the best next season,” he noted. On 18 July 2013, Yanal's team Fenerbahçe's will enter the Champions Leaguethird qualifying round on Friday despite its
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs foo ...
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its c ...
. On 31 July 2013, The Yanal's first official match, his team Fenerbahçe made the most of their
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
Third qualifying round with a 3–1 win. Also this match was the first official win the game for the new manager Ersun Yanal. On 11 August 2013, Yanal's team Fenerbahçe and
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other dep ...
Super Cup
A super cup is a competition, usually but not exclusively in association football, which often forms the ' curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competitions during the pre ...
which was played in Kayseri. This was the 375th meeting between the two sides in history. Both sides played decent attacking soccer, but it was
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other dep ...
who had the last laugh with
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
heading home the only goal in the first half of
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only ...
.
On 18 August 2013, Yanal's first league match with Fenerbahçe, paid the price for its distraction as they squandered a 2–0 first half lead to eventually lose 3–2 to newcomer
Torku Konyaspor
Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya. They are better known as Konyaspor. In 1922 Konyaspor were founded with the name Konya Gençlerbirliği and have played at their current home stadiu ...
in their
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
opener at
Konya Atatürk Stadium
Konya Atatürk Stadium ( tr, Konya Atatürk Stadı) was a multi-purpose stadium in Konya, Turkey. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Konyaspor
Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional ...
on Saturday evening. On 18 August 2013, Yanal's team Fenerbahçe will have a mountain to climb to reach the group stages of the Champions League after being crushed 3–0 by an efficient
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at their caldron of
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium () (Known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi, or Ülker Stadium for short) is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is t ...
in the first leg of the
play-off round
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
. First 6 matches in Super Lig, Fenerbahçe won 5 matches and scored 16 goals in this matches. On 10 November 2013, Yanal's team Fenerbahçe were the victors by 2–0 against
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other dep ...
, managing to maintain a nearly 15-year streak of suffering no derby losses on their home turf, the
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium () (Known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi, or Ülker Stadium for short) is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is t ...
in
Kadıköy
Kadıköy (), known in classical antiquity and during the Roman and Byzantine eras as Chalcedon ( gr, Χαλκηδών), is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district in the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey, on the northern shore of the Sea of ...
. The last time Fenerbahçe suffered a loss at home in a derby was back in 1999. On 24 November 2013, Last-gasp road victories are turning into a habit for Fenerbahçe, as they have pulled tonight another of such wins against
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and ...
thanks to a 90th-minute goal from
Moussa Sow
Moussa Sow (born 19 January 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level, scoring 18 goals in 50 appearances. He was known for his bicycle kick goals and emotional rea ...
to stay on top of the
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
. On 1 December 2013, Yanal's team Fenerbahçe and Besiktaş drew 3–3 in a fascinating
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
match that witnessed a breathtaking game and a number of controversial positions. On 4 December 2013, Fenerbahçe suffered an unexpected 2–1 reverse in their
Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup (Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
game at their home
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium () (Known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi, or Ülker Stadium for short) is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is t ...
against first division minnows of
Fethiyespor
Fethiyespor is a Turkish sports club based in Fethiye, Muğla.
Fethiyespor were promoted to the Turkish Second Division in the 2005–06 season. In the 2011–12 football season, Fethiyespor reached the end of season promotion play-off games bu ...
with the result, the double title-holders fall as they had entered the competition in the fourth round stage. On 27 April 2014, Yanal's team Fenerbahçe won the
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
title with three games to spare on Sunday after a 0–0 draw at home to
Çaykur Rizespor
Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Rize. The club play in the TFF First League. The club was founded on May 19, 1953, with green-yellow as club colours, but later changed to blue-green. Since 1990, the team ...
, in front of a crowd made up exclusively of women and children. On 21 May 2014, Yanal has extended his contract with Fenerbahce by two years Fenerbahçe. Yanal would earn $1,75 million each year in accordance with the contract. However, on 9 August 2014, he resigned from Fenerbahçe due to disagreements with the club's board.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Managerial honours
;
Denizlispor
Denizlispor, due to current sponsorship Altaş Denizlispor, is a Turkish sports club based in Denizli. It is known by its distinct green and black colors. The club's branches include football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and gymnastics ...
*
TFF First League
The TFF 1. Lig, officially known as Spor Toto 1. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2001 as the ''Turkish Second League Category A'' after the reorganization of the ...
Turkish Cup
The Turkish Cup (Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
Eskişehirspor
Eskişehirspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in Eskişehir. Eskisehirspor has a total of six trophies, making them the sixth most trophies holders in Turkey. Founded in 1965, Eskişehirspor competed in the top division ...
this past season and led the Central Anatolian side to eighth place in the 18-team
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
. He had previously coached
Denizlispor
Denizlispor, due to current sponsorship Altaş Denizlispor, is a Turkish sports club based in Denizli. It is known by its distinct green and black colors. The club's branches include football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and gymnastics ...
Manisaspor
Manisaspor is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Manisa. Originally formed in 1931 as Sakaryaspor, the club changed its name to Manisaspor on 15 June 1965.Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
but achieved only scant success. In fact, he left or was forced to leave almost all these teams, except
Eskişehirspor
Eskişehirspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in Eskişehir. Eskisehirspor has a total of six trophies, making them the sixth most trophies holders in Turkey. Founded in 1965, Eskişehirspor competed in the top division ...
, before his contract expired. The reason was that Yanal usually adopted a self-destructive tactic of going all out on attack and leaving huge holes in the midfield and defense. That may be why matches involving a team under his tutelage were interesting to watch and also the reason why his team, more often than not, conceded almost as many goals as it scored. Yanal may have changed his tactics a little bit, but the result remained almost exactly the same. While managing
Eskişehirspor
Eskişehirspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in Eskişehir. Eskisehirspor has a total of six trophies, making them the sixth most trophies holders in Turkey. Founded in 1965, Eskişehirspor competed in the top division ...
, the team scored 48 goals but conceded 40.
Personal
He was born in
İzmir
İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. He graduated from
Manisa Celal Bayar University
Manisa Celal Bayar University or (MCBU) is a public research university located in Manisa, Turkey. CBU traces its root back to 1959 as an independent sports and teachers' college in Manisa. The main campus is in Muradiye district of Manisa. ...
in 1984. He is married and has two kids. He is of
Kosovo Albanian
The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo.
Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-g ...