Lucescu appointed new Turkey coach
The Turkish Football Federation has announced the appointment of Mircea Lucescu as the new coach of the national team.
Former Zenit coach Mircea Lucescu has been appointed by Turkey, replacing Fatih Terim in the role of head coach.
Terim departed last month after an altercation with a restaurant owner in a west-coast holiday town.
Turkish media reported that Terim and his sons-in-law injured five men in the incident and he left by mutual consent two weeks later.
Lucescu has been out of work since he was sacked by Zenit in May, with the club having missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification, but he will now be charged with leading Turkey to next year's FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The 72-year-old Romanian is best known for his 12-year spell in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk between 2004 and 2016, during which he claimed eight Ukrainian league titles.
Turkey sits third in Group I, two points behind leader Croatia and Iceland, with Lucescu set to make his bow as coach in a qualifier in Ukraine next month.
Qualification for the FIFA World Cup is in Turkey's hands as it is due to host both Croatia and Iceland in its four remaining qualifiers.