Turkish football has said enough about the violent attack suffered by international referee Halil Umut Meler (37 years old) at the end of the match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor on the 15th day of the Super League, the country’s highest category, which was played in Eryaman stadium in Ankara. The Federation took the unusual and exemplary decision to postpone the matches of all the leagues without a return date after seeing how the president of the local team, Faruk Koca, punched the referee in the face, who was already lying on the grass from the blow. He received two kicks, one in the face and one in the chest, from two other individuals. A shameful scene for the Ottoman country that provoked the immediate reaction of the ordinary justice system and the public rejection of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.
The Ankaragücü fans protested the expulsion with a second yellow card for forward Ali Sowe in the 50th minute and the visiting team sealed the final tie (1-1) with a goal in extremis in the 97th minute. “We strongly condemn this vile and inhuman,” expressed the Federation in the first instance, which continued its message by promising “the most serious punishment” towards the aggressors and the club they represent, in addition to branding all those who encourage attacks on the referees as “accomplices of this crime: club presidents, managers, coaches, players and television commentators.”
After the final whistle, the leader of the host club jumped onto the field alongside a large group of people, including fans, who pounced on Halil Umut Meler, who was only freed from the lynching due to the subsequent police intervention. Once the limits of the field of play were crossed, the referee was now protected but with his left eye swollen and purple, the embarrassing episode became a matter of State.
“I condemn the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler and wish him a speedy recovery. Sport means peace and brotherhood. Sport is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to occur in Turkish sports,” President Erdo?an wrote on social media, who later spoke by telephone with the victim through the mobile phone of the Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, who was taken to the hospital where the referee was treated. “We are very sorry. We are disappointed. We will do everything necessary,” the top political leader addressed the referee, who was bedridden with a collar around his neck and who had a fracture under his damaged eye.
Erdo?an’s words did not fall on deaf ears. The Minister of Sports, Osman Askin Bak, also present at the medical center, assured that they will continue to fight against violence in football, while the head of the Justice Ministry, Yilmaz Tunç, announced the preventive detention of Faruk Koca along with others. five suspects and the opening of an investigation.
The repudiation of the aggression crossed the Turkish borders. “There is absolutely no place for violence in football. The events are completely unacceptable,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In Spain, the Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees expressed its “unconditional support” to its professional colleague, a regular referee in Champions League matches who this season has directed, among other matches, Real Madrid’s victory against Braga in the Santiago Bernabéu (3-0). The duel in the Spanish capital could have been one of Halil Umut Meler’s last games, since several reports indicate that he would have communicated his retirement internally.
For his part, Faruk Koca, who was also treated in hospital for heart problems, resigned from his position as president and apologized for his attack. “No matter how great the injustice is, nothing can legitimize or explain the violence that I committed, which I definitely did not want,” he explained in a note published on the team’s website, currently in 11th position in the Super League. The 59-year-old businessman became president of Ankaragücü, a club founded in 1910, two years ago, and between 2002 and 2011 he was a deputy of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) founded by Erdo?an. He now faces a criminal conviction from the courts after damaging the image of football in Turkey, a country that will host the Euro 2032 Championship.
