The head of the Turkish Football Federation, Mehmet Büyükekşi, spoke about plans to resume the country's championship after the tournament was suspended due to the beating of referee Halil Umut Meler in the 15th round match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor (1:1).
Spor Haberleri quotes Mehmet Büyükekşi as saying:
Halil Umut is our referee and we are proud of his work in the domestic and foreign arena. What happened is simply unacceptable. Meler's health is improving, we have seen him. We will not allow a repeat of what happened and disproportionate pressure on our arbitrators. Today is the time to put the controversy behind us and unite. Turkish justice has done its job. As the Turkish Football Federation, we have decided to amend our disciplinary guidelines. Domestic championship matches will resume on December 19.
On December 11, Ankaragücü drew with Rizespor (1:1) in a home match of the 15th round of the Turkish Super League. After the final whistle, Ankara club president Faruk Koca punched the head referee of the match, Halil Umut Meler, in the face. The next day, games in all leagues in Turkey were suspended indefinitely due to the incident.
Later, Ankaragücü president Faruk Koca publicly apologized to referee Halil Umut Meler and announced that he was resigning "in order to prevent further damage to the club, the team's fans, the entire football community I belong to, as well as my family." FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the beating of a referee after a Turkish league match unacceptable.
