The Turkish first division football championship has been suspended “indefinitely” after the lynching last night of a referee at the end of a match, beaten in particular by the president of Ankaragücü. This was announced by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
According to images broadcast live on television, the leader of the Ankara club, Faruk Koca, entered the pitch after the match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor and punched the match referee, Halil Umut Meler, in the face. Rizespor had just equalized (1-1) a few moments earlier in injury time on the pitch of the Ankara club, who had been denied a goal at the start of the match. Falling to the ground, the referee curled up to protect himself but was subsequently kicked several times in the face by at least two other men, allegedly members of the local team.
According to Turkish media, Meler was transferred to hospital with his left eye visibly swollen. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on the social network X the arrest of three men, including the president of Ankaragücü. The TFF decided shortly afterwards to “postpone indefinitely” all the championship matches. Denouncing a “black evening” for Turkish football, the Turkish Referees Association hoped that “those responsible for Turkish football and justice will take all necessary criminal measures”. “We apologize to the fans and the entire sporting community for this sad incident,” Ankaragücü said for its part. Demonstrating the extreme resonance of this act of violence, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reacted: “I condemn the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler. We will never allow violence to interfere in Turkish sport”, he said. The AKP, Erdogan’s conservative Islamist party, has started exclusion proceedings against Koca, according to Turkish public channel TRT Haber. the president of Ankaragücü was elected twice as an AKP deputy, in 2002 and 2007.
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2023-12-11 23:43:00
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