A referee at a Turkish football championship match 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 this Monday evening, the manager of the Ankara club, Faruk Koca, rushed onto the pitch after the match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor before punching the face of the 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.
Three men arrested
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 postpone” 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 against Halil Umut Meler (…) and wish a speedy recovery to our precious referee,” said the federation.
Ghosts and “dark evening”
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 football Turkish, the Turkish Association of Arbitrators 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.
Several European championships (Greece, France, etc.) have recently been shaken by violence, but the attack on a referee by members or managers of a professional club remains extremely rare. The matches of the Greek football championship will be played behind closed doors until February 12 in an attempt to stem the violence which regularly punctuates this sport, the Greek government announced on Monday.
