ANKARA, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Italian Vincenzo Montella was named Turkey’s new coach on Thursday by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), after it parted ways with German Stefan Kuntz.

Kuntz’s departure this week came after the manager criticised his players following a 4-2 friendly loss to Japan.

Montella, 49, coached Turkish club Adana Demirspor for two years until June this year, having had spells in charge of Italy’s AC Milan and Fiorentina and Spain’s Sevilla.

Montella will sign a three-year contract with Turkey in a ceremony in Istanbul scheduled for Sept. 27, the TFF said.

Turkey will host Croatia in their next Euro 2024 qualifier on Oct. 12.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.