Halil Umut Meler, who was attacked at the end of the MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match in the 15th week of the Trendyol Super League, made a written statement.
In his statement, Meler stated that the incident of attack and violence against him and his fellow referees in the match after the MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match played in Ankara on December 11, was meticulously carried out by the judicial authorities and the Turkish Football Federation.
Stating that he will follow these processes until the end, Meler said:
“As a result, I want you to know that I want those responsible and perpetrators of the incident to be punished in the most severe way. This heinous incident, which has been occupying the public for days, should not be evaluated as if it happened only in a sports competition. Unfortunately, violence frequently occurs in all areas of life and sometimes produces irreparable consequences.
The penalties to be imposed as a result of this incident, which has become a worldwide agenda today; I hope that it will be a deterrent that will set an example for violence in health, education, family, traffic, daily life on the street and in all areas of life, along with sports. I have full confidence in both the judicial authorities and the Turkish Football Federation Legal Committees that they will impose deterrent penalties on this matter. “It should be our duty to move away from this climate of violence and stop all forms of violence.”
Meler would like to thank all statesmen, especially President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who supported him throughout this process, the doctors and staff of Acıbadem Ankara Hospital who provided his treatment, the security forces, my friends in the entire referee community, FIFA, UEFA and TFF executives, the Central Referee Board, non-governmental organizations, He expressed his good wishes to his friends and fellow citizens and thanked everyone who supported him.
“I hope that violence and belief in violence will end in all areas of life.” In his evaluation, Meler said, “As I mentioned above, considering that all relevant institutions have taken the necessary steps, it is my expectation that football returns to the natural flow of life. In this context, provided that their security is ensured in all details, my beloved referee friends return to their public duties and the competitions continue. “It is my desire.” he said.