{"id":302141,"date":"2023-12-12T17:57:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T17:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=302141"},"modified":"2023-12-12T17:57:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T17:57:16","slug":"ankaragucu-president-punches-referee-in-the-face-after-draw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/ankaragucu-president-punches-referee-in-the-face-after-draw\/","title":{"rendered":"Ankaragucu president PUNCHES referee in the face after draw"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Ankaragucu president PUNCHES referee in the face after Turkish Super Lig draw with Rizespor, with others kicking official in the head in disgraceful scenes<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ankaragucu president\u00a0Faruk Koca stormed onto the pitch after the final whistle<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Match referee Halil Umut Meler was punched and kicked by several individuals<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Have you witnessed abuse of referees? Contact IAKO@dailymail.co.uk\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The president of Turkish Super Lig club Ankaragucu punched a referee in the face after storming onto the pitch following his side&#8217;s draw with Rizespor.<\/p>\n<p>After the final whistle, Halil Umut Meler was confronted by a visibly furious Faruk Koca, who aimed a punch at the official in abhorrent scenes caught on camera.<\/p>\n<p>Meler dropped to the floor and was then kicked by at least two others while he looked to protect his face. After being led away, he was seen sporting a swollen eye.<\/p>\n<p>A large crowd of players, coaching staff and security were quick to race to the scene and stop the attack, with the shaken Meler eventually helped to his feet.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey&#8217;s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ali Yerlikaya, announced that Koca was being treated in hospital under the supervision of security forces.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/20\/78837847-0-image-a-32_1702325513097.jpg\" height=\"427\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The president of\u00a0Turkish Super Lig club Ankaragucu,\u00a0Faruk Koca, punched a referee in the face<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/20\/78837851-0-image-a-33_1702325519199.jpg\" height=\"411\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Koca stormed onto the pitch after his side&#8217;s 1-1 draw with Rizespor and assaulted the official<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/20\/78837867-0-image-a-34_1702325527163.jpg\" height=\"421\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Halil Umut Meler was sent crashing to the ground after the punch and sustained a black eye<\/p>\n<p>Detention procedures would be carried out after the treatment, Yerlikaya said.<\/p>\n<p>BeIN Sports, the Super Lig&#8217;s official broadcaster, reported shortly after the incident that the Turkey Football Federation had decided to hold an extraordinary meeting.<\/p>\n<p>The top-flight match, held on Monday evening, finished 1-1.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A judicial investigation has been launched &#8216;against those responsible&#8217; for the unprovoked assault, according to Turkey&#8217;s Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunc.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tunc said the Ankara Police Department were tasked with identifying suspects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We are following this sad incident,&#8217; Yerlikaya added.<\/p>\n<p>Olimpiu Morutan opened the scoring in the 14th minute before drama struck, with hosts Ankaragucu reduced to 10 men after Ali Sowe&#8217;s second-half dismissal.<\/p>\n<p>Emirhan Topcu was also sent off for Rizespor in the 95th minute, though the visitors netted a last-gasp equaliser through Adolfo Gaich on the cusp of the final whistle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/20\/78839119-12851957-image-a-47_1702326792702.jpg\" height=\"437\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>A group of players, officials and security guards formed a protective huddle around Meler<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/20\/78839121-12851957-image-a-48_1702326817444.jpg\" height=\"445\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Koca was visibly furious after the match and is set to be detained by police after treatment<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/20\/78839645-12851957-image-a-49_1702327707901.jpg\" height=\"470\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Meler looked to protect his face after the punch while other individuals kicked him on the floor<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/11\/21\/78080051-12851957-Mail_Sport_has_launched_a_campaign_to_stop_the_abuse_of_referees-a-1_1702329255995.jpg\" height=\"289\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mail Sport has launched a campaign to stop the abuse of referees at all levels of the game<\/p>\n<h3>GET IN TOUCH\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>We want to hear from refs who have been abused &#8211; or parents who have witnessed atrocious behaviour on the touchline<\/p>\n<p>Email us at:\u00a0IAKO@dailymail.co.uk<\/p>\n<p>The attack has been condemned by Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Askin Bak.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bak, posting on X, wrote: &#8216;I strongly condemn the attack on the referee of the match, Halil Umut Meler, at the end of the MKE Ankaragucu-Caykur Rizespor match.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We do not want to see these images on our fields, which do not suit the spirit of sports and Turkish football.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Koca, 59, has been the president of Ankaragucu since 2021. He received the Fair Play manager of the month award in October 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fenerbahce and Turkey international footballer Umut Nayir has reacted to the unsightly scenes on his social media account.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;A mentality that considers itself to be right no matter what is said or done to the referee has surrounded us,&#8217; he posted on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;You destroyed the most vulnerable factor in football with your pressure, day by day, together. You put the burden of your failures on them. Shame on you.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I&#8217;m ashamed of the situation you&#8217;ve put us in.&#8217;<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off\u00a0is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12851957\/Ankaragucu-president-punches-referee-Turkish-Super-Lig-Rizespor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ankaragucu president PUNCHES referee in the face after Turkish Super Lig draw with Rizespor, with others kicking official in the <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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