The Turkish Football Association has handed out a hefty punishment to Ankaragücü chairman Faruk Koca. Koca entered the field on Monday after the match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor (1-1) and hit the referee hard in the head, causing the situation to get completely out of hand.
The Football Association (TFF) has banned the chairman for life from matches at the highest Turkish level. In addition, his club Ankaragücü must pay a fine of sixty thousand euros and will have to play five home games without an audience. In addition to Faruk Koca, other club members who misbehaved were given warnings, suspensions and fines. The Turkish Public Prosecution Service has also launched a criminal investigation into the abuse.
The incident caused a lot of commotion. The Turkish competition will be stopped this weekend and the injured referee Halil Umut Meler could even count on a call from President Erdogan.
Ankaragücü is in eleventh place in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club will resume the competition on Thursday evening, December 21, in a home game against Hatayspor, but will do so without home fans.
