Get quality reporting directly into your inbox secretary general of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Florian Gaertner/photothek.de/dpa/Alamy Stock Photo a senior official of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) flew to Tbilisi the trip had little political significance He travelled with veteran members of a hometown club who were set to play a friendly match against a Georgian team a former AC Milan player named Kakha Kaladze But there was more in the air than just football Georgia was set to hold a pivotal parliamentary election Georgian Dream — which had cracked down on civil society and the political opposition amid mass protests — was seeking its fourth term in office And the two old friends both had important parts to play Kaladze has pursued a stellar career with Georgian Dream and was about to play a significant role in the OSCE’s high-profile election observation mission As Secretary General of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly he would not only participate as an observer but also help administer the mission and take part in a closed-room discussion over the wording of its initial post-election report A screenshot from a TikTok account shows Kakha Kaladze greeting OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella (center-left) on the tarmac of Tbilisi’s international airport on September 20 His trip to Georgia raises questions about his impartiality and his adherence to OSCE rules and guidelines at a crucial time experts and other OSCE Parliamentary Assembly officials say “It is not appropriate to participate in situations involving political parties especially given the highly sensitive discussion currently taking place about Georgia,” said Johan Büser The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organization Its reports about the conduct of Georgia’s elections play a prominent role in assessing the extent to which the country has tilted towards authoritarian rule Montella said there was no conflict of interest “Attending a football match does not disqualify an election observer,” he wrote “My participation at these events was known and public as I myself disclosed it on social media.” “I did not participate in events organized by the Georgian Dream,” he added “I accepted an invitation from the AC Milan Legends together with a number of AC Milan former football players whom I have known for years.” Montella also said he had friendships from across the Georgian political spectrum “These relationships were well known to the OSCE PA Election Observation Leadership,” he wrote even seemingly non-political events carry significance Georgian Dream “is using invitations to high-profile and often exclusive events to woo foreign officials and prejudice them in favour of the Georgian authorities,” wrote Anton Shekhovtsov a visiting professor at Vienna’s Central European University “Kaladze directly uses his background in football for political purposes,” wrote Hans Gutbrod a professor in policy studies at Tbilisi’s Ilia State University who regularly publishes on ethics in politics “The mobilization of his old teammates is part of an orchestrated attempt to give himself a glamorous veneer.” Montella’s actions fall “significantly short of the standard that sensible and reasonable people expect,” Gutbrod told OCCRP in which there is an ongoing assault on the rule of law Any child can see from a kilometer away that you don't accept hospitality you have to recuse yourself in any official dealings,” he added Kaladze did not respond to a request for comment the President of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly who had invited Montella to the closed-door meeting about the post-election report denied that he had breached the observers’ code of conduct “Roberto has never hidden from me and the OSCE PA leadership his friendship with all election stakeholders in Georgia,” she wrote “We as international election observers know many of the election stakeholders in the countries where we observe With some we are close friends,” she wrote “This fact however does not interfere with our honest and impartial execution of our observers functions.” But at a January meeting of the OSCE PA Bureau Kauma is known to have approved of another official’s decision not to apply to observe the Georgian election because his wife was from the country she called the decision both "a good choice," and "the only choice." the President of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly (left) and Roberto Montella (right) other senior OSCE officials expressed dismay at Montella’s conduct “The Secretary General must serve as a role model,” wrote Daniela De Ridder other observers may no longer take our rules seriously enough.” “Respecting the code of conduct means we have to be prepared that there could be a melting between a personal friendship and your function especially if you know each other for a long time,” she added “This seems to be the case between [Kakha Kaladze] and Secretary General Montella.” said that the matter could lead to an investigation: “It is crucial that we are not questioned or seen as supporting any particular party That is why this information needs to be examined further We have a policy that mandates strict political neutrality.” This is not the first time Montella has attended a football-related event in Georgia just before taking part in a high-profile election observation mission Days before the previous parliamentary elections in 2020, a government-funded football stadium in the coastal city of Batumi was inaugurated featuring speeches by Kaladze alongside Georgia’s prime minister Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of people attended the event — but one of them was Montella, as shown in an image published by the Georgian Football Federation he joined the OSCE’s election observation mission he joined the closed-room negotiations about the final election report Roberto Montella (circled-red) seen at the inauguration of the football stadium in Batumi The OSCE’s subsequent report cited the stadium’s inauguration as an example of how the ruling party sought to blur the lines between itself and the government in an attempt to buy votes Montella wrote to reporters: “I asked for an invitation to this event for me and some colleagues from the then-Prime Minster and Speaker of Parliament as this was an interesting opportunity to get the full picture of the pre-electoral environment.” Georgian Dream’s definitive victory was decried by the opposition and local civil society groups the country has been roiled by impassioned protests marred by police violence As is the normal practice for the OSCE, which seeks to avoid political judgement and evaluate elections only on technical conduct, the organization’s preliminary post-election report does not reach a definitive conclusion about whether the ruling party’s victory was legitimate The report says Georgian voters had “a wide choice” and that “preparations for the election were well-administered.” But the OSCE mission cites a number of serious problems including “reports of intimidation and pressure on voters” and “an uneven playing field.” Montella is not known to have participated in the writing of the report and beyond his participation in a closed-room discussion about it there is no evidence that he had any specific influence it is not my job to negotiate the preliminary statement,” Montella wrote in his response to reporters “That is the role of the Special Coordinator and the Head of Delegation The report has been cited by both Georgian Dream and by the party’s opponents in support of their positions told reporters that “major Western decision makers take reports and conclusions of OSCE observation missions into consideration when deciding on political economic and other relations with Georgia.” it is in the [Georgian Dream’s] interests to win over foreign officials who are directly linked to reporting on Georgia for organizations such as the OSCE,” he added Support from 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From a press release issued By Barni Racing Team: Yari Montella in SBK with the Barni Spark Racing Team in 2025 The Supersport rider will be riding a Ducati Panigale V4 Superbike and will join Danilo Petrucci The Bergamo-based team will field two bikes in the premier class of the WorldSBK Championship Yari Montella: “Very happy for the opportunity Yari Montella will continue racing with the Barni Spark Racing Team in 2025 but he will do so aboard a Ducati Panigale V4 Superbike joining Danilo Petrucci in the top-level class of WorldSBK After securing five wins (and as many podiums) this Supersport season and being in the thick of the world title fight Yari will be “promoted” next season the Bergamo-based team will be on the grid with two Superbike Reaching the top of the category was my goal Doing it with a team I’ve worked with for two years and having a teammate like Petrucci makes it even more special I have the opportunity to learn and “steal” many small secrets from the team and my teammate there will be many more variables to manage but I can’t wait to start competing in Superbike I haven’t started thinking about 2025 yet; I’m very focused on finishing this Supersport season in the best way possible Fielding a second bike in Superbike is a very important decision for us; we’ve been working well and all the conditions were right to take this step: on one hand Yari has shown over the past two years with us that he deserves the promotion to the higher category and it was right to continue this journey together our intention has always been to keep growing thanks also to the support of the sponsors who have decided to stand by our side | © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers When a post is labeled with the words “press release” it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys trigger buttons and links using the Enter key navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus) and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible we are continually improving our accessibility updating and improving its options and features and developing and adopting new technologies All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility Roma's third managerial search of 2024 marches on unabated with the club searching far and wide for someone sick enough to take the job Roma waited all of 15 minutes to announce they'd sacked interim manager Ivan Juric The former Torino headman struggled to make his mark with the Giallorossi piloting the capital club to a losing record while boasting a negative goal differential but the speed with which they dispatched him following Sunday's defeat proved it was an ill-fit all along In the immediate wake of Juric’s dismissal, the rumor mill scrambled to link a host of names to the suddenly vacant Roma bench, including the surprise inclusion of Rudi Garcia, who led the club for parts of three seasons between 2013 and 2016. Outside of the Frenchman, former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic was connected with the capital club yesterday morning only to see his name essentially removed from consideration several hours later has seemingly fallen by the wayside as we approach the rumored 48-hour decision deadline the Italian press is doing its best to broaden Roma’s managerial search scope former Roma forward and current Turkish National Team coach Vincenzo Montella grabbed a few headlines only for the Turkish FA to throw cold water on the story claiming that there has been no contact between Roma and Montella Meanwhile, outlets like the Gazzetta dello Sport speculate there is a divide between Dan and Ryan Friedkin. The former reportedly prefers former Manchester United manager Erik ten Haag or Graham Potter while the younger Friedkin has thrown his support behind Montella club director Florent Ghisolfi is supposedly drumming up support for Daniele De Rossi's return Ghisolfi himself may not survive the international break as the Friedkins are reportedly unhappy with his job performance former Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has thrown his hat into the ring There were still three and a half hours to go before kick-off but the noise ricocheted off the genteel peach-and-cream facades of Leipzig’s townhouses Locals twitched at their curtains and looked outside Turks draped in flags processed towards the RB Arena Not even the thudding whir of rotor blades from a helicopter overhead quietened them The sirens from police vans were a distant backing track as well It was painted in the red and white — Turkey’s colours Megaphone-wielding fans stalked the top deck the red plumes of smoke causing some to pull their flags over their mouths while they sang: “Na-na na-na-na-na-naaaaaah… Ooooooooh Tur-ki-ye There were crescent-and-star flags upon which the names of other German cities had been printed Members of the Turkish communities in Frankfurt and Wilhemsdorf were represented When the strings of Tarkan’s Bir Oluruz Yolunda sounded over the public address system Then, as the tie kicked off, six drummers in the front row behind the goal tried to set the tempo of the game, their snares resting on a banner showing Ataturk, the founding father of the Turkish republic, and a quote, from history, about going forward. Fifty-seven seconds later, Turkey scored the fastest goal in a European Championship knockout-stage match right in front of them and Merih Demiral’s opener detonated an explosion of euphoria Coach Vincenzo Montella said afterwards his team were not out for revenge after a 6-1 defeat to Austria in a friendly just over three months ago The Italian called that defeat “a horrible stain on my career” Montella had faced calls to resign and has spent the past two weeks in Germany defending his otherwise record-breaking record in charge there was fear we would not qualify for the Euros,” he reminded his critics “Not only did we qualify with a game to spare That Austria defeat seemed to cancel out everything In the heat of the moment, it all went out the window. Emotions got the better of the media and the fans. “Passion.” That was what winger Kerem Akturkoglu described as the key before Turkey’s second group game against Portugal The spray has left Montella looking exhilarated and drained During the group finale against the Czech Republic, the dirtiest game in Euros history the mood swings in the stands oscillated in the shape of the country’s crescent When the Czechs were reduced to 10 men early on, the Turks in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion were elated. They were ecstatic, too, when Hakan Calhanoglu gave them the lead sneakily sucking on their vapes as they slumped over the railings They cursed their team until Montella brought on Cenk Tosun only to go delirious when the substitute scored his 94th-minute winner “When I say we need to manage our emotions our emotions got the better of us,” Montella observed He came to his next press conference armed with a ream of statistics to show Turkey were as attacking as the fans willed them to be “We’ve scored five goals with five different players their skipper and one of the best dead-ball specialists in world football it looked as though they would be without control and without a set-piece threat He already pulled rank on Calhanoglu over Turkey’s corners in Hamburg but Guler draws lines like the finest Ottoman architects He repeatedly told his team-mates where to be He challenged them and complained when something wasn’t to his liking After curling in another corner for Demiral’s he turned to the Austria fans who had just been hurling their beer cups at him and cupped his ear inviting a torrent of abuse and more plastic rain It was an iconic moment and caused the Turkey supporters at the other end of the pitch to go wild “Arda put in a superb performance tonight,” Montella said He ran more than I’ve ever seen him run in his career but I’d like to congratulate him on the performance.” At 2-0 up with half an hour to go, a quarter-final against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday looked like plain sailing But the currents of the Bosphorus are strong and unpredictable and watching their players navigate safe passage has caused many a fan to become an emotional wreck their coach Ralf Rangnick was convinced that his team would have been the ones to progress “Turkey were exhausted and we had a physical advantage,” he said But their goalkeeper Mert Gunok came to the rescue, scooping a Christoph Baumgartner header up and away to safety in stoppage time when the ball looked behind him.  It was one of the saves of the tournament and clinched a win few predicted Austria’s players collapsed to the ground in despair as their opponents gathered around the perimeter of the centre circle and led the Turkish end in a raucous series of call-and-response chants “Tonight went beyond tactics and game plans,” Montella said I’m happy to have handed our Turks here in Germany a bit of pride — Turks all over the world and Turks back home.” horns were being honked in thoroughfares and town squares up and down Germany The chaos of Austria vs Turkey: Part Bundesliga James Horncastle covers Serie A for The Athletic. He joins from ESPN and is working on a book about Roberto Baggio. Follow James on Twitter @JamesHorncastle Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Two Turkey fans stood in the middle of a three-lane carriageway They held up a Turkish flag so cars on the way to the Olympiastadion could pass under it A bigger red and white flag was draped over the highway from a bridge further down the road Samet Akaydin must have thought he was Senturk for a new generation when he appeared at the far post to head in a cross from Arda Guler that was so delectable that two of Akaydin’s team-mates were queuing up behind him to score the game’s opening goal if he failed GO DEEPER Anatomy of a wondersave: Analysing Mert Gunok's 95th-minute heroics against Austria “We should have no regrets,” Montella said running a hand through his slick black hair His team looked to have finally found the necessary balance to go far in this competition that night against Austria “We weren’t very lucky about that,” Montella said Turkey failed to qualify for the Euros in 2012.  They didn’t get out of the group in the 2016 edition and lost every game in the most recent one three years ago “When I took charge of the national team, there was the fear we would not qualify,” Montella liked to remind his critics. “Not only did we qualify with a game to spare, we topped the group.” Turkey won in Croatia for the first time. They beat Germany away for the first time in more than 70 years “It’s a year of firsts,” Montella underlined But Montella didn’t let the media pull him down Demiral’s brace against Austria and Gunok’s stunning late save to prevent extra time the fight and the vibrancy of a team personified by rising star Guler who stood out as much for his character as his class “He played a great Euros,” Montella said of the Real Madrid forward This experience will make him a far better player.” Perhaps one of the best in the world GO DEEPER Arda Guler, the 'Turkish Messi' shining at Euro 2024 - and his path to Real Madrid This tournament also helped restore Montella’s reputation Would he stay in charge of Turkey beyond this tournament Or might he use it as a springboard to bounce back into a job with a big club I’m very proud of my team because most of them are still young and I’d like to reap the fruits of this experience.” That begins with the next Nations League group stage in the autumn and then the 2016 World Cup qualifiers start in March Montella isn’t yet thinking about the next European Championship — or the one after that in 2032 “I look at the future with much more confidence and clarity,” he said Germany’s Turkish community alone is estimated to be more than seven million more But Turkey’s national team have punched below their weight for too long and the hope is that this won’t be another false dawn “My opinion after this European Championship,” Montella said “is that Turkey will be seen with different eyes in the future GO DEEPER Netherlands 2 Turkey 1 - The Briefing: Weghorst's impact, Guler shines and Dutch comeback courage (Top photo: Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/Getty Images) Turkey held their nerve in their final group game in Hamburg to beat the Czech Republic and reach the Euro 2024 knockout stages The Czechs knew only a win would secure them a spot in the knockouts while Turkey just needed to avoid defeat A red card produced by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs after 20 minutes — the quickest in Euros history — curtailed a promising start from the Czechs. And Turkey finally took advantage with a brilliant finish from captain Hakan Calhanoglu in the second half by just going himself and slamming in from 15 yards to seal a 2-1 win for Turkey Vincenzo Montella’s side go through to the last 16 where they will face Austria on July 2 in Leipzig tensions would always be elevated and tackles forceful nobody expected the dirtiest game in Euro’s history that was the first of five yellows awarded to players who were not on the pitch at that time and the third of 18 overall (16 yellows and two reds) Two of those yellows were given to Turkey players for their celebrations after Tosun grabbed the winner in added time Kovacs handed out his second red card of the evening — this time to Czech midfielder Tomas Chory who was involved in an on-pitch bust-up after the final whistle The Viktoria Plzen striker entered the game in the 65th minute a contemporary of Guler in underage international teams Montella also pushed captain Calhanoglu — normally a holding midfielder for Inter Milan these days — into an attacking midfield role The idea seemed to be for the team’s most talented ball players to play close together and leave the opposition back three with no centre-forward to mark Yildiz showed tremendous dribbling skills to get past two Czech defenders but was then booked as his studs crashed into the third There were signs of frustration for the Turks as they had lots of possession but no real chances against the 10 men; Guler had two efforts from long range which sailed well wide After the break, Yildiz was centrally involved in the goal. He danced into the box again and his venomous strike was saved, but the Czech keeper Stanek was injured in the process. The rebound fell to Calhanoglu, and the sweetness of his strike would have given Jindrich Stanek no chance Guler had been waiting for a cross in the centre but ran to celebrate with his captain as the ball hit the net Montella’s plan to put his country’s three most technical players together — the old head flanked by two emerging young stars — worked well who were disturbing Turkey’s midfield with a man-to-man pressing system the task was made significantly harder after Antonin Barak was handed his marching orders for a second yellow card referee Istvan Kovacs correctly awarded a yellow card for Barak after the left-footed central midfielder had dragged down left-back Ferdi Kadioglu who had wriggled away from the Fiorentina midfielder If that meant Barak should have played it safe for the rest of the game by avoiding risky tackles, the 29-year-old must have missed the brief. After taking a smart touch away from the challenge of Turkey attacker Ismail Yuksek Barak was quickly converged upon by two Turkey midfielders near the halfway line With the ball getting away from his touch and Calhanoglu breathing down his neck Barak stuck his left foot out in a desperate attempt to take the ball before Salih Ozcan and Barak’s left foot missed the ball and stamped on Ozcan’s After initially handing advantage to Turkey Kovacs pulled play back for a foul and gave Barak his second yellow thus reducing the Czechs to 10 men with 70 minutes of regular time remaining It was the earliest red card in Euros history The previous record was held by France defender Eric Abidal, who was shown a straight red card after 24 minutes against Italy at Euro 2008 The decision split pundits and commentators, with Andros Townsend on ITV believing the second challenge did not warrant a yellow card He’s in possession of the ball; he taps it away,” said Townsend “It’s his follow-through that catches the Turkish player You can always slow it down and freeze-frame it a player of Barak’s experience should know not to take risks in midfield in a must-win game having already been booked Italian Montella was appointed Turkey manager last September and is still getting to know his squad chopping and changing his line-ups from game to game The team does not yet seem to have any set shape The big Turkish crowds so far have experienced excitement at both ends in the win over Georgia, a dull disappointment in the defeat to Portugal who were down to 10 men for most of the game Montella can argue that these changes have paid off, as his team have made the knockout rounds. But the rotating of players can also make it look like his team does not know each other’s games too well — as seen with the unfortunate own goal by defender Samet Akaydin against Portugal Changing the goalkeeper is another unusual move: versus the Czechs, the recalled Mert Gunok made two excellent stops in the first half but was then at fault when not holding a high ball before Tomas Soucek thrashed in the equaliser a bit of chaos seems to suit this Turkey team: Calhanoglu’s goal was a prime example with lots of pinball and players piling into attacking positions Such moments are also hugely enjoyed by the Turkish fans in the stands who have outnumbered their opponent’s supporters at every game so far The defending at the end was pretty frantic And the Czechs were furious with a goal disallowed which would have changed things completely But Montella’s side managed to hold out before scoring a late History suggests more changes are likely again for Tuesday’s last-16 game against Austria. Ralf Rangnick’s side are maybe the most system-based in the tournament, with many knowing each from clubs — including those that Ragnick himself coached at Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig the Czech Republic manager said: “I haven’t checked the videos on the two fouls he (Barak) committed yet I don’t want to really say anything on I didn’t see — if you thought from the videos it was a yellow… obviously this affected the game a lot…” “I don’t want to say that we didn’t win because of the referee We should have beaten Georgia and then this game would have been completely different…” (Top photo: Gabriel Bouys /AFP via Getty Images) the Italian has the team leaning into their passionate side as fairytale run continues A train grinds to a halt, mid-journey, in Bakirkoy, Istanbul, in front a giant screen. The conductor and passengers hold their breath, praying Turkey hold on to their 2-1 lead against Austria All of a sudden there is a huge roar: everyone on the train outside in the fan park and from Green Lanes showcasing their distinctive brand of chaos-ball have booked a quarter-final slot thanks to their goalkeeper He turned to a delirious crowd and celebrated as if he had scored After 16 years, Turkey are back in the final eight of a major tournament and the Netherlands await on Saturday It has been a long time since Turkish fans have had anything to cheer about and expectations this summer were not high supporters were reluctant to get burned again Many had also been alienated by heavy defeats in pre-tournament friendlies club rivalries spilling over into the national team due to the squad selection and the usual conspiracies theories that hover around Turkish football 0:23Train in Istanbul stops beside fan zone to watch Turkey v Austria – videoEven reaching the finals in Germany had not looked certain But Vincenzo Montella turned around Turkey’s qualification campaign after replacing Stefan Kuntz last September his team finishing top of a group that included Croatia and Wales The Italian also guided Turkey to a first away win against Germany since 1951 It was a friendly but so was March’s 6-1 defeat by Austria after which Montella was asked: “Are you considering resigning?” Montella stuck it out and has spoiled fans with some of Euro 2024’s most exciting games great for neutrals but agony for the supporters Turkey delivered goal of the tournament contenders from the teenage sensation Arda Guler and Mert Muldur survived a late onslaught that included one shot against a post and another off the line then scored on the break with Georgia’s goalkeeper upfield Kerem Akturkoglu – nicknamed Harry Potter – charged down the pitch slotted the ball into the empty net and celebrated by waving an imaginary magic wand In the final group game against the Czech Republic, the scores were level, Czech pressure was building and a possible tournament exit was beckoning when Cenk Tosun scored a goal in the fourth minute of added time nullifying the press by adopting a direct style Turkey outplayed Austria before the interval and although the second half was back to chaos Montella took a risk in switching to a back three and having his defenders play direct to Guler a makeshift false 9 tasked with holding the ball up picked because Samet Akaydin was suspended made 17 clearances and was man of the match And all this without the suspended Hakan Calhanoglu the self-appointed “best midfielder in the world” It has not been plain sailing for Montella The highs of the win over Georgia quickly turned sour with a defeat by Portugal The manager received brutal criticism from just about everyone in the public sphere Think Gareth Southgate after the draw against Slovenia but on steroids Even the Turkish pop star Mustafa Sandal weighed in calling Montella a “puppet-looking sorry excuse of a manager” Montella’s insistence on playing without a striker coupled with toxic conspiracy theories of “dark forces” deliberately sabotaging the team and players being picked based on club affiliation Guler has taken much of the limelight but this is not a one-man team contributing defensively and creating no fewer than 11 chances at the tournament On Saturday Kadioglu will face the country where he was born and which he represented at youth level Real Madrid’s teenage sensation Arda Guler is one of many Turkish players who have made their mark in Germany Photograph: Anadolu/Getty ImagesMontella understands Turkey’s football and fan culture after two years as Adana Demirspor’s manager “Turkish culture is very close to that of the place where I spent my childhood I was born and raised near Naples,” he also said It is no easy task managing in Turkey where emotions often spill over. For years managers have tried to create a less volatile and more disciplined national team. Montella opted to embrace the passion. “Besides our formation, our gameplan and our tactics, I saw Turkish heart today,” he said after the Austria game Montella is going to have to tinker again, with Demiral and the midfielder Ismail Yuksek suspended and Calhanoglu returning Calhanoglu has performed well in spurts and scored a lovely goal against the Czech Republic but the Inter player has not shone yet “The Netherlands are a strong team but Austria were favourites as well,” the captain said “If you play with heart and fight until the end everything is possible.” 0:46Turkey fans go wild in Istanbul and take over Berlin as team advance – video Turkey will play in Berlin the historical and cultural heart of Germany’s three million strong Turkish community and the game will hold special meaning for players such as the Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz the Galatasaray defender Kaan Ayhan and Calhanoglu Montella has united Turkey and those who were calling for his head a fortnight ago will be asking for statues in his honour if the team win again The last time these two sides met the Dutch won 6-1 Yari Montella was fastest in World Supersport Free Practice One (FP1) Friday morning at Donington Park Riding his Barni Spark Racing Ducati Panigale V2 on spec Pirelli tires the Italian navigated the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) course in 1:28.907 which was fast enough to lead the field of 33 riders and break Nicolo Bulega’s 2023 All-Time Lap Record of 1:29.018 Former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise was P5 with a 1:29.990 on his Evan Bros WSS FP1 | “I’m very proud of the spirit we showed on the pitch,” Montella said. “It’s outstanding for a coach when you’re able to see that. Besides our formation, our gameplan and our tactics I saw Turkish heart today, and that’s what I love about this country.” Read moreMontella had played down notions of taking revenge on Austria before the match and while he made it clear no such emotion had consumed him admitted he was ecstatic to have salvaged professional pride “A horrible stain on my career,” he said of that night in Vienna I had this competitive instinct because we wanted to change that result it was a friendly but there’s no such thing as a friendly.” The Turkey goalkeeper Mert Gunok confirmed their 2-1 victory with an extraordinary last-gasp save from Christoph Baumgartner and Montella acknowledged the moment’s importance happy for the group and what we’ve created here,” he said it’s his job to make saves and we’re very happy that he’d made a match-winning save in the final minute.” Ralf Rangnick bemoaned that Austria “didn’t have the necessary luck” and said their exit was still sinking in “I cannot imagine that we are going home today,” he said “We thought we would continue our journey here and get ready for the next few games and the players thought the same Free daily newsletterKick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football “The four games we played were very entertaining I have seen other games where it was difficult to stay awake and that was not the case with ours.” A 6-1 humiliation in March is still on their minds with a place in the quarter-finals at stake in clash of dark horses That was a no, then. Montella remains firmly in situ and has a new opportunity to find the right answers in Leipzig on Tuesday night. The stakes are infinitely higher, a quarter-final place the prize, and the lessons are there to be acted upon. For starters, exhibit one showed what not to do Salih Ozcan was caught dwelling on the ball inside 100 seconds and a hurtling Romano Schmid pressed him into oblivion to create the opening goal. Read moreSleep on the job from kick-off and Austria’s relentless tempo will overwhelm you. But Turkey have an intensity of their own and it is why this a textbook clash of dark horses that has extra piquancy given the clear opportunity this side of the draw holds may be the most absorbing tie in the round of 16 All three of their games have been events: raucous celebrated around German cities many miles from the venues The players have fed from the energy and the task Maybe the embarrassment dished out in that March friendly can be deployed positively A number of players have cited it as motivation since the rematch was confirmed and on Monday the manager himself described it as “a humiliating result on a personal level” But he also pointed out that the slate gets wiped clean now “That was another match and this one is a different matter,” he said Turkey must channel any impulses towards retribution in the right way and that topic had clearly been of concern to Montella “The first issue is to make sure we don’t let emotions get the better of us and don’t try to avenge that defeat,” he said “You can have your minds clouded and it can affect your concentration.” but he acknowledged they must be more clinical in the knockout stage He also lamented the loss of his captain, Hakan Calhanoglu, who will be suspended after collecting a second yellow card of the tournament against the Czech Republic The defender Samet Akaydin is banned for similar reasons Turkey’s 16 bookings put them comfortably on top of that particular ranking and they can ill afford a repeat of the scenes that closed that win over the Czechs with Montella running on to the pitch after full-time to prevent Arda Guler from landing in hot water The Real Madrid player’s significance may heighten in Calhanoglu’s absence For all the talk of behavioural management Austria have an idea of what will hit them “We know Turkey are a team that will include emotions,” Rangnick said “So we need the highest level of energy and we also need to be there with our hearts.” For Rangnick and Austria there is the comfort of familiarity He was the architect of RB Leipzig’s rise through the German leagues and allowed himself a touch of nostalgia “I remember in 2012 when I started here and we played against the second team of Union Berlin,” he said Austria had put up Christoph Baumgartner and Nicolas Seiwald who play for what is now a leading Bundesliga club alongside their manager to present a concentrated local flavour “It’s something special when you walk into the stadium and just feel at home,” said Baumgartner, who came off the bench to set up Marcel Sabitzer’s winner against the Netherlands and should replace the suspended winger Patrick Wimmer They have scored during the first 10 minutes in six of their past seven games and Baumgartner knows the value of repeating the breakneck opening sequence from this fixture’s last iteration not necessarily waiting to get the perfect pass to try and shoot,” he said “It’s all about being energetic and just going to the opponent’s goal It’s not a coincidence that we have had good starts until now.” perhaps a first quarter-final for a slick Austria But Turkey may find a very different experience in Vienna offers an appealing precedent they won on penalties at Ernst Happel Stadion against Croatia after equalising at the very end That took them to the last four and victory here would put them on the verge of a repeat and that has to be our mindset.” Montella said OneFootball's home page Search Settings Sign In Sign InJoinReport: Vincenzo Montella in pole position to become Roma’s head coach | OneFootballRomaPress Former Roma striker Vincenzo Montella is reportedly close to a return to the Italian capital After a brief managerial spell in 2011, Montella could once again take hold of coaching duties at Roma in the wake of Ivan Juric’s dismissal As reported by Corriere dello Sport journalist Roberto Maida Montella is now the favorite to become Roma’s new head coach The Friedkins are determined to secure Montella’s services The Italian technician is open to the move and could be freed from the Turkish national team through a release clause in his contract Related NewsFrom Spain: Roma interested in Antony Revealed: Roma contacted Allegri two weeks ago Roma’s Champions League qualification worth over 60 million Roma and Svilar’s entourage argue over release clause Roma at work to extend Gourna-Douath’s loan 4️⃣ things to look out for in the Champions League this week The Champions League returns with a bang this week as the finalists will be determined following some tense first leg action.Here is what to look out for...⚔️ Match of the... 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