A FIFA-licensed referee has claimed that the president of top-flight Turkish football club Ankaragücü threatened to kill him following a match against Rizespor on Monday night.
Referee Halil Umut Meler says Faruk Koca punched him in the face under his left eye. Meler says he then fell to the ground where he was kicked by two others, according to a statement published by Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency. Meler says Koca also threatened to kill him.
“Faruk Koca, said to me [and the other officials], ‘I will finish you.’ Addressing me, he said, ‘I will kill you,’” Meler told Anadolu.
Yılmaz Tunç, the Turkish Minister of Justice, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the three individuals who attacked the referee have been “arrested for the crime of, ‘injuring, on a sports field in a way that resulted in a fracture, [of] a public official who was performing their public duty.’”
Koca is among the three people arrested, per Tunç. Koca, however, has refuted the claims.
“This incident developed due to the referee’s wrong decisions and provocative behavior. My aim was to react verbally to the referee and spit in his face. Meanwhile, I slapped the referee in the face. The slap I gave does not cause a fracture,” Koca said, per Anadolu
“After the slap, the referee was standing about five-10 minutes … He stood for a second. Then [Meler] threw himself on the ground. They immediately removed me from the scene because I had a heart condition. I am not aware of any other incident that took place.”
Mehmet Yörübulut, chief doctor of Acibadem hospital, said in a video posted on X that Meler has a small crack following the punch but there is no brain damage. Yörübulut said that he is hoping Meler will be discharged on Tuesday evening or on Wednesday.
The Turkish Football Federation has indefinitely postponed matches in all of the country’s leagues following the attack.
During the 1-1 draw at Eryaman Stadium in Ankara, Ankaragücü conceded an equalizing goal in the 97th minute, after which Koca ran onto the field and punched Meler in the face.
The FIFA-licensed referee was eventually brought to his feet with the help of several players and security personnel before eventually being led away from the field.
Several photos and videos show Meler with a swollen left eye and a bag of ice as he walked off the field, surrounded by security with riot shields. According to public broadcaster TRT, he was transported to the hospital by ambulance.
“We strongly condemn the inhumane and despicable attack on Halil Umut Meler, the referee of the match with a FIFA license, by self-aware criminals after the Trendyol Süper Lig match,” the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said in a statement.
“We are closely following Halil Umut Meler’s health condition and wish a speedy recovery to our valuable referee.”
The federation then announced that the board of directors had agreed to indefinitely postpone matches in all leagues, while also adding that criminal proceedings have been initiated against those responsible for the “inhumane attack.”
“The responsible club, the Club President, its managers and all the criminals who attacked Halil Umut Meler will be punished in the most severe way,” the federation said
.