A former Turkish football chief has been sentenced by a Turkish court to more than three and a half years in prison for attacking a referee last season at the end of a league game last season.
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Former Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca punched referee Halil Umut Meler in the face after the final whistle of a 1-1 draw in a Super Lig game against Caykur Rizespor in December 2023.
The court in Ankara found Koca guilty of intentionally causing injury to the referee and sentenced him to 43 months in prison on Monday. Koca was also convicted of threatening the referee and violating Turkey’s law on preventing violence in sports. Three others involved in the assault also received prison sentences ranging from one to five years.
The incident caused global outrage and prompted the Turkish Football Federation to suspend all league games for several weeks. Koca resigned as club president soon after the incident, which left the referee with a small fracture near his eye.
Ankaragücü was fined two million Turkish Lira (approximately £45,000) and required to play five matches without fans due to the bad incident that occurred shortly after Rizespor scored a last-minute equalizer. Subsequently, they were relegated from the Turkish top flight later that season.
President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, condemned the assault, stating that violence has no place in Turkish sports. He also expressed his hopes for Meler's recovery. FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his shock over the incident and called for all players, coaches, and officials to show respect toward referees.
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