All soccer leagues in Turkey are officially suspended as a result of wild scenes from the match between Ankaragucu and Rizespor on Monday evening. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, but the story of the day was Ankaragucu’s president Faruk Koca rushing to the field in a rage and punching referee Halil Umut Meler in the face.
Not only that but images have shown that Meler was kicked by various unidentified assailants while he was on the ground holding his hands to his face. Meler suffered a swollen eye because of the attack and needed to be helped back to the dressing room by police.
The Turkish Football Federation did not hesitate to take harsh action by the barbaric act of a club president and formally suspended all activity indefinitely. In a statement the TFF stated, “The related club, the club chairman, club officials and all those guilty of attacking referee Umut Meler will be punished in the strongest terms possible.”
Turkey president calls Halil Umut Meler
Disgusted by what he saw, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted: “Sport means peace and brotherhood. Sport is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports.”
Laying in his hospital bed with a neck brace, Meler received a call from Erdogan who told the battered referee, “We are truly very, very sad, may God give you health… It saddened me in a serious way to watch such things.”
Meler told the president that he was being taken care of in the hospital and thanked the leader for his call. Pundits from all over the world have condemned the actions that took place and the TFF is set to issue unprecedented punishment for what happened to Meler.
Meler is a well-respected referee who has officiated at the Champions League level, while Ankaragucu’s president Faruk Koca was twice elected to Turkey’s parliament as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party and was arrested after the attack according to reports.
