After a club president’s violent attack on a referee, the Turkish Football Association (TFF) has suspended SüperLig play indefinitely.
After the 1-1 draw against Rizespor on Monday (December 11, 2023), the Ankaragücü club president, Faruk Koca, hit referee Halil Umut Meler in the face with his fist so that he received a black eye. Rizespor equalized in the seventh minute of added time.
The referee was attacked by several people. Pictures show how other people involved kicked him while the referee was already on the ground. According to local media, Meler was taken to a hospital due to his injuries.
“This heinous attack was not only directed against Halil Umut Meler,” wrote the TFF after the incident: “This inhumane and despicable attack was directed against all players in Turkish football.”
Arrest warrant against Club president
After the violent attack, an arrest warrant was issued for Koca and two other suspects on Tuesday. You are accused of injuring an official, wrote Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc on the X platform.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned the scandalous incident. “Sport means peace and brotherhood. Sport is incompatible with violence,” wrote Erdogan on X. “We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports,” he added.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also commented on Instagram after the attack: “There is absolutely no place for violence in football, neither on nor off the pitch. The events following the Turkish Süper Lig match between MKE Ankaragücü and Çaykur Rizespor are completely unacceptable and have no place in our sport and in our society.”