ISTANBUL, July 28 (AFP) - Turkish champions Fenerbahce said Wednesday that they would continue working with Christophe Daum after resolving a row between the board and the coach on whether the German was welcome at the club.
The announcement put an end to days of tension which erupted after the 51-year-old Daum told reporters in Germany - where the team was camping - at the weekend that certain Fenerbahce board members did not want him, without giving names.
"If they do not want me, they should say so clearly. I will go away," Daum reportedly said in remarks carried by the Turkish press amid reports that he clashed with the club's vice presidents on planned transfers.
After a nearly five-hour meeting at the club headquarters on Wednesday, Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim classified the row as a "misunderstanding" and said the two sides had resolved their differences.
"We did not bring over Daum for a year. We brought him to work for many years...We believe in him," Yildirim said.
Daum, for his part, apologized for making comments through the press rather than talking directly to the management, and said he was looking forward to continue his tenure.
"I would like to emphasize very clearly that I would like to be successful at Fenerbahce for many years," he said.
Daum signed a three-year contract with Fenerbahce last year - at a stormy time in his career over his drug abuse which led him to being banned from taking the German coaching post back in 2000 - and led them to grab the Turkish title in May.