Kocaman confirms Istanbulspor rethink

Aykut Kocaman has announced his return to Turkish Superleague side Istanbulspor AS having resigned as coach last month.

January resignation
Kocaman stepped down in early January and goalkeeping coach Fahrudin Ömerovic was appointed as the caretaker was appointed in his place. However, despite financial problems at the club, Kocaman was unable to resist repeated requests for him to return and on Saturday he will resume in his post.

'Struggle to exist'
"Our coach did not break my and the players' hearts by accepting our request," said club president Adnan Sezgin. "He agreed to restart his job and we thank him for this. Both on and off the pitch we will continue our struggle to protect the existence of Istanbulspor."

Player departures
In Kocaman's absence, Istanbulspor lost three important players. Forward Mehmet Yozgatli left to join Fenerbahçe SK, defender Tolga Dogantez moved to MKE Ankaragücü while the contract of Bulgarian goalkeeper Zdravko Zdravkov was cancelled, with the player subsequently signing for PFC Litex Lovech in his homeland. Istanbulspor currently lie in 13th place in the table.