Feldkamp Away for Two Weeks as Galatasaray Replacement Talk Surfaces

Galatasaray head coach Karl Heinz Feldkamp had not appeared at the training ground or taken his place on the technical bench for two consecutive weeks by December 2007. Sunday's league match against Ankara club Gençlerbirliği OFTAS was the latest fixture the 73-year-old German sat out without explanation.

During that stretch, Feldkamp reportedly returned to Germany. Club officials attributed the prolonged absence to health concerns, though the explanation drew skepticism in Turkish football circles.

Reports in the Turkish press suggested Galatasaray had been quietly weighing a managerial change for some time. According to those accounts, the club held undisclosed meetings with three German candidates as potential replacements: Jürgen Klinsmann, Klaus Toppmoller, and Lothar Matthäus.

A Galatasaray representative offered brief reassurance when pressed by reporters. "He has the right to get sick," the official said, without addressing the replacement speculation directly.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in December 2007, in its own words.