Gençlerbirliği terminates Metin Diyadin's contract unilaterally

In a statement released by Gençlerbirliği, it was stated: "Our club has unilaterally terminated the contract with our head coach Metin Diyadin. We thank him for his efforts and contributions to Gençlerbirliği during his tenure. We wish Mr. Diyadin success in his future coaching career. We respectfully present this to the public."

Metin Diyadin's post-match comments

Speaking at the press conference held after the match, Diyadin said, "Today's match was like two different games. The first half was completely under our control. The second half was the exact opposite, a match completely under the control of Çaykur Rizespor. Naturally, it ended in a draw."

Attributing their drop in performance in the second half to forced substitutions, Diyadin continued:

"Forced substitutions like those of Oğulcan Ülgün and Koita pushed us back significantly. The reason for this is that we do not have many players of the same profile on our bench to replace the players who came off; this is very clear and obvious. Even if it seemed like we were making player substitutions late before, I already knew the reason for this. Unless it is forced, I am not in favor of making many changes other than 1-2 substitutions. Because the lack of alternative players in some positions in our squad depth causes us to regress in terms of gameplay. You are playing 4-3-3 and suddenly you switch to another formation. When you cannot press in the front, a situation arises where you accept the opponent's dominance in the game. The match could end in a draw or a bad result, but what saddens and even angers me is that we regress in terms of gameplay when we make forced moves."

Pointing out that there were mistakes in squad planning at the beginning of the season, Diyadin said, "We could not make reinforcements to some places during the mid-season break either. You pay the price for these things from time to time in the Süper Lig."

Providing information that Koita and Oğulcan suffered hamstring injuries, Diyadin said, "I hope it is nothing serious. Because it would be a serious loss. It affects our entire game formation. We will see what report the doctor and the medical team provide. If the hamstring injury is serious, they will be out for at least 2-3 weeks. That could affect us in such critical weeks."

Regarding questions about Niang and Hanousek, Diyadin noted the following:

"Let me explain Niang's situation so everyone knows. If you remember, he was injured in his ankle and left the game during the cup match we played here against Bodrum FK. Then, 30 days later, two days before the Samsunspor match, he started training with the team and played for 20 minutes in the match. Then he played for 90 minutes in the Antalyaspor match. After that, he served for 60 minutes. Later, he did not train with the team for 1 week. That one-week period was something that developed outside of me, not due to (injury). After that, he trained with us again this week. As for Hanousek, we play with a 3-man defense in our build-up play. Also, I do not particularly prefer players who are not strong defensively in the defensive zone. Whether in training or in a match, I prefer players who work, want to play, and are willing."