The referee of a match in the Turkish football championship was severely beaten on Monday by several men, including the president of the Ankaragücü club, a serious incident which caused the suspension of the first division championship until further notice .
According to images broadcast live on television, the leader of the Ankara club, Faruk Koca, rushed onto the pitch after the match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor before punching the player in the face. referee of the match, Halil Umut Meler.
Rizespor had just equalized (1-1) a few moments earlier in added time on the Ankaragücü field, which had been denied a goal earlier in the match.
Falling to the ground, the referee curled up into a ball to protect himself but was subsequently kicked several times in the face by at least two other men, presumably members of the local team.
According to Turkish media, Halil Umut Meler, swollen under his left eye, was transferred to hospital.
The Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, announced on the social network X the arrest of three men, including the president of the Ankaragücü club.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has decided to “sine die postponement” of all championship matches in reaction to this incident which raises the specter of violence in Turkish football.
“We strongly condemn the inhumane and despicable attack on Halil Umut Meler (…) and wish a speedy recovery to our precious referee,” the federation said.
Quoted by the Turkish state news agency Anadolu, the head doctor of Acibadem hospital in Ankara, where the referee was transported, indicated that he suffered from head trauma.
“His vital prognosis is not engaged. There is bleeding around the left eye and a small crack there,” detailed Dr. Mehmet Yörübulut.
Proof of the extreme resonance of this act of violence, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted. “I condemn the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler (…) We will never allow violence to interfere in Turkish sport,” he wrote on X.
Denouncing a “black evening” for Turkish football, the Turkish Referees Association called on its members to exercise their right of withdrawal.
“We believe, or want to believe, that those responsible for Turkish football and Turkish justice will take all necessary criminal measures,” the association wrote in a press release.
“We apologize to the supporters (…) and to the entire sports community for this sad incident,” said the Ankaragücü club.
The AKP, the Islamo-conservative party of President Erdogan, has for its part launched an exclusion procedure against Faruk Koca, according to the Turkish public channel TRT Haber. Mr. Koca was twice elected AKP deputy in 2002 and 2007.
