A curious turn of events in the Turkish women's volleyball championship. Just five months after leaving Maritsa (Plovdiv), Ahmetcan Erşimşek found himself jobless at Zeren Spor, and his team's last two defeats came against rivals led by coaches with Bulgarian connections.
On November 6, the Turkish club officially announced the separation from the 34-year-old specialist by mutual agreement. The decision comes after only seven matches played in the new season of the Sultanlar Ligi, in which Zeren recorded two wins and five losses.
The irony is that the last two blows to Erşimşek's ambitions were dealt by well-known names in Bulgarian volleyball.
On November 1, Zeren lost at home to Beşiktaş with a score of 2:3 (23:25, 28:26, 25:22, 24:26, 8:15). The visiting team was led by the former coach of the Bulgarian women's national team, Lorenzo Micelli. The Italian managed to turn the tide of the match after his team was trailing 1:2 in sets. In the fourth set, Beşiktaş snatched the victory with 26:24, and dominated the tie-break for 15:8.
Just three days later, the next defeat came. This time, Zeren lost away to Göztepe with a score of 2:3 (25:16, 20:25, 20:25, 25:19, 12:15). The hosts were led by the Bulgarian specialist Radoslav Arsov, who guided his team to a fourth consecutive victory in the championship.
Thus, within four days, a former Bulgarian national coach and a Bulgarian coach recorded victories against Erşimşek. Two days after the second defeat, Zeren's management announced the end of their collaboration.
From four trophies in Bulgaria to five losses in Turkey
In the summer, Erşimşek left Maritsa after two extremely successful seasons. Under his leadership, the Plovdiv team won two championship titles and two Bulgarian Cups, finishing both seasons undefeated in the league.
The Turkish coach also achieved a historic breakthrough with the Bulgarian champion in European tournaments. Maritsa finished third in its Champions League group and advanced to the CEV Cup quarterfinals.
His move to Zeren seemed like a logical step forward. The Ankara club demonstrated serious ambitions, and returning to his homeland was an opportunity for Erşimşek to establish himself as a head coach in one of the strongest leagues in the world.
However, reality turned out to be different. After seven rounds, Zeren has only two victories – against İlbank and Manisa, with the second success achieved after five sets.
Guidetti's school and international experience
Before taking over Maritsa, Erşimşek spent eight seasons at Vakıfbank as part of Giovanni Guidetti's coaching staff. During this period, he participated in winning four Champions League titles, three FIVB Club World Championships, and numerous national trophies.
He also has experience with the national teams of Turkey, Serbia, and Canada, where he worked as an assistant coach, including again with Guidetti.
In 2026, the Turkish specialist also joined Felix Koslowski's staff in the Dutch women's national team. Previously, his name was discussed as a possible assistant to Marcello Abbondanza in the Bulgarian national team, but such an appointment did not materialize.
Zeren's financial problems – another issue
The separation comes against a backdrop of financial difficulties, which were reported as early as last season. Zeren repeatedly made headlines in Turkish volleyball news due to allegations of delayed payments to players.
In February, the club announced that it had settled its debts, but subsequently, reports of salary problems reappeared.
For now, there is no confirmed information that the financial situation is directly related to Erşimşek's dismissal. In the official announcement, Zeren thanked the coach for his work and only specified that the separation was by mutual agreement.
The name of Alper Hamurcu has already appeared in the Turkish media as his probable successor, but an official appointment has not yet been announced.
For Erşimşek, the Turkish adventure ended unexpectedly quickly. And the most curious thing is that after two seasons without defeat in the Bulgarian championship, his last two matches at the helm of Zeren were lost precisely against coaches connected with Bulgaria.
It turned out that you can leave Bulgaria, but it's not so easy to escape the Bulgarian volleyball trace.