Türkiye has appointed Sergen Yalçın as its new national team coach on a four-year contract, entrusting the former international with leading the team into a new era following the departure of Vincenzo Montella.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) held a signing ceremony at the Orhan Saka Conference Hall at the Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities, attended by federation president Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu and members of the board.
Yalçın, who previously played for Türkiye and has experience managing Turkish clubs, returns to the national setup in one of the most significant appointments of his coaching career.
Hacıosmanoğlu expressed confidence in the new coach, describing the appointment as an important step toward building a stronger national team and emphasizing the value of having a Turkish manager lead the side for the first time in five years.
He also paid tribute to Montella, thanking the Italian for his contributions to Turkish football and wishing him success in his future career.
“Today, we are experiencing the joy and pride of entrusting our national team to a Turkish coach again after five years,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “Sergen Yalçın is one of the most valuable figures produced by Turkish football, known to everyone. His playing career, coaching experience, knowledge of the game and leadership qualities make him a strong candidate to take on this responsibility.”
The federation president said Yalçın's familiarity with Turkish football and its players would give the national team an advantage, particularly in assessing their abilities, personalities and potential for development.
Hacıosmanoğlu added that the decision was based not only on Yalçın's technical qualifications but also on his sense of national duty and commitment to a shared objective.
He praised the coach for not prioritizing financial considerations when accepting the position, describing it as evidence of his dedication to the national team and his desire to serve the country.
“For us, the national team stands above all personal expectations,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “When it comes to the crescent-and-star jersey, our priority is to represent our country in the best possible way, make our nation proud and unite around common goals.”
He said the federation wanted to establish a team capable of achieving sustained success and competing consistently at the highest international level rather than focusing on short-term results.
Hacıosmanoğlu acknowledged that achieving those ambitions would require collective effort from the coaching staff, players, federation and supporters. He pledged to provide Yalçın with the conditions necessary to work effectively and reiterated his belief that the new coach could bring out the best in the squad.
"Most important day"
Yalçın described the appointment as a defining moment, thanking Hacıosmanoğlu and the federation's board for placing their trust in him.
“During my playing career, I wore the crescent-and-star jersey many times. I tried to serve with great honor,” Yalçın said. “Today is the most important day of my career.”
The former international said the national team represented a value greater than any individual and expressed optimism about the period ahead.
“We are talking about something that stands above all of us, and that is the crescent and star,” he said. “We will experience very successful days from now on. We are making all our plans accordingly. Hopefully, this will be good for our country.”
Yalçın also stressed the importance of unity, saying the team would need to stand together to achieve its objectives.
“We have a great need for unity and togetherness,” he said. “I hope wonderful days lie ahead of us.”
Hacıosmanoğlu backs Yalçın
Speaking to reporters after the signing ceremony, Hacıosmanoğlu expanded on the reasoning behind the appointment, insisting that Montella's contribution should not be overlooked while explaining why the federation opted for a Turkish coach.
He said the federation could have appointed another foreign manager but welcomed the opportunity to place the national team under Turkish leadership.
Hacıosmanoğlu also revealed that Yalçın had not featured on the candidate lists circulating before the appointment. He said his decision to approach the former coach directly reflected his confidence in Yalçın's character, intelligence and work ethic.
“We prepared six or seven lists, and everyone put forward candidates, but Sergen Yalçın was not on any of them,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “I trust his character and his courage. His intelligence is something else. If he combines that intelligence with hard work, I believe he can achieve outstanding success by acting as both a coach and an older brother to the players.”
According to Hacıosmanoğlu, Yalçın accepted the responsibility with the understanding that representing the country was an honor in itself.
The federation president said he hoped the new coach would demonstrate his capabilities through hard work and results, adding that he understood Yalçın's character and the responsibilities he had carried since his early years in Turkish football.
Hacıosmanoğlu acknowledged the pressure that comes with managing the national team but said he had complete confidence in Yalçın's ability to handle the challenge.
“The responsibility of being the national team's coach is something entirely different,” he said. “I have unlimited faith that he will succeed.”
He added that the federation's responsibility was to ensure Yalçın could concentrate on his work without unnecessary distractions, stressing that the entire organization would need to work harder to help the national team progress.