Kenan Koçak

Kenan Koçak — Biography

Kenan Koçak is a German-Turkish coach who moved from playing to management in Germany, coached Waldhof Mannheim, Sandhausen and Hannover 96, served on the Turkey national team's staff and is now head coach of TFF 1. Lig club Iğdır FK. Born in Kayseri, he holds Turkish and German citizenship.

His playing career began in the Mannheim youth system; he went on to play in Austria for DSV Leoben and Red Bull Salzburg and in Germany for SSV Reutlingen, 1. FC Pforzheim and Türkspor Mannheim, retired through injury. He started coaching as an assistant at Waldhof and then managed Türkspor Mannheim. He took over VfR Mannheim in the 2010-11 winter break and took them into the Oberliga by beating FV Ravensburg in the play-off. He returned to Waldhof as head coach in 2013; in 2015-16, while completing his coaching course at the Hennes Weisweiler Academy, he won the Regionalliga Südwest with the club but lost the promotion play-off to Sportfreunde Lotte.

In July 2016 he took charge of 2. Bundesliga side SV Sandhausen and was sacked in October 2018. From 14 November 2019 to the end of 2020-21 he managed Hannover 96. In September 2021 he joined the Turkey national team as first assistant to Stefan Kuntz, leaving in September 2023. He took over MKE Ankaragücü in September 2024, left in December and returned to Sandhausen, where he stayed until April 2025. He agreed terms with Iğdır FK on 26 January 2026 and left in March, but signed again on 3 June 2026 and is back in charge.