a referee severely beaten after the Ankaragücü-Rizespor match, the Turkish championship suspended

The referee of the match was beaten on the pitch on Monday after being hit in the face by the president of Ankaragücü.

“A dark evening”. The Turkish Referees Association was quick to react after the incident that occurred on Monday December 11 during a Turkish D1 (Super Lig) match between Rizespor and Ankaragücü. The referee of the match, Halil Umut Meler, was beaten by several people, including the president of the Ankaragücü club, Faruk Koca, who rushed onto the pitch after the match to deliver a blow punched in the referee’s face.

Falling to the ground, the referee curled up into a ball to protect himself but was subsequently kicked several times in the face. Rizespor had just equalized (1-1) a few moments earlier in added time on the Ankaragücü field, who had been denied a goal earlier in the match. The chief physician of Acibadem Hospital in Ankara, where the referee was transported, indicated that he suffered from head trauma. “His life prognosis is not in jeopardy. There is bleeding around the left eye and a small crack there”detailed Dr. Mehmet Yörübulut.

Turkish championship suspended

This incident caused the suspension of the Super Lig until further notice, as announced by the Turkish Football Federation (FTF) in a press release. She announced “sine die postponement” of all championship matches in reaction to this scene which awakens the specter of violence in Turkish football. “We strongly condemn the inhumane and despicable attack on Halil Umut Meler (…) and wish a speedy recovery to our precious referee”indicated the federation.

The Turkish Referees Association said in a statement that they wanted “believe that those responsible for Turkish football and Turkish justice will take all necessary criminal measures”, in this file. In the process, the Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, announced on the social network X (formerly Twitter) the arrest of three men, including the president of the Ankaragücü club.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself reacted. “I condemn the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler (…) We will never allow violence to interfere in Turkish sport.”he wrote on X. For its part, the Ankaragücü club apologized “to the supporters (…) and to the entire sporting community for this sad incident”.