{"id":302292,"date":"2023-12-13T15:25:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=302292"},"modified":"2023-12-13T15:25:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:25:16","slug":"turkish-football-set-to-restart-on-december-19-after-referee-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/turkish-football-set-to-restart-on-december-19-after-referee-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkish football set to restart on December 19 after referee attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Turkish football set to restart on December 19 after season was suspended when referee was hospitalised with a cheek fracture following attack from club president<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Referee Halil Umut Meler was discharged from hospital earlier on Wednesday\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Turkish league football had been called to a halt as a result of Monday&#8217;s attack\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><span>CHRIS SUTTON: I was RIGHT to call Man United players \u2018snakes\u2019 last week &#8211; IAKO<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Turkish football is set to resume next week after the gamer was called to a halt across all leagues earlier this week following an attack on a referee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Media outlets branded Monday night a &#8216;night of shame&#8217; &#8211; when former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca\u00a0launched a vicious attack\u00a0on Halil Umut Meler after his side drew 1-1 against Caykur Rizespor in the\u00a0Super Lig.<\/p>\n<p>After the former club president punched him in the face at the final whistle, he was also seen being kicked in the head while lying prone on the floor as the chaos unwound around him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meler was pictured battered and bruised and wearing a neck brace in hospital on Tuesday but following a series of additional tests, he was discharged on Wednesday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Following the match official&#8217;s release from hospital, it was announced later on Wednesday that league football would be able to resume across Turkey.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78915687-12859573-image-a-38_1702477598445.jpg\" height=\"422\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Turkish Football Federation President Mehmet Buyukeksi announced that league football could resume from December 19<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/13\/78837867-12859573-The_match_official_was_sent_crashing_to_the_ground_after_the_pun-a-30_1702475795928.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Halil Umut Meler\u00a0was sent crashing to the ground after the punch from Faruk Koca and sustained a black eye<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78839119-12859573-A_group_of_players_officials_and_security_guards_formed_a_protec-a-31_1702476322325.jpg\" height=\"437\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>A group of players, officials and security guards formed a protective huddle around Meler, who could be seen sporting a swollen eye in the moments shortly after the shocking attack<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We have decided to postpone the matches in all leagues. All leagues will restart on Tuesday, December 19th,&#8217; said Turkish\u00a0Football Federation President Mehmet Buyukeksi.<\/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>He added: &#8216;The main mission of all of us is to keep football ahead of everything else and to protect it as an area where all stakeholders feel safe. There is no room for violence in this attitude.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;What happened in the Ankarag\u00fcc\u00fc &#8211; Rizespor match is completely unacceptable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We remind you that we will have zero tolerance in any such incident on or off the field, and that we will not allow attacks or disproportionate pressure on our referees, who are an important part of the game.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>The president of the Turkish FA also gave an update on Meler, claiming that the official was &#8216;getting better&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He was discharged with a reported swelling and small fracture, as pictures showed him waving to a crowd gathered outside the hospital&#8217;s entrance, still sporting a black eye on his left side.<\/p>\n<p>Fans also invaded the pitch after Rizespor scored an equaliser seven minutes into eight minutes of injury time,\u00a0prompting police to escort the referee to safety.<\/p>\n<p>The actions have been condemned nationally by Turkish authorities, with world and European governing bodies FIFA and UEFA also speaking out against the violent scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/13\/78080051-0-Mail_Sport_has_launched_a_campaign_to_stop_the_abuse_of_referees-a-21_1702475611808.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<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78839645-12859573-Meler_looked_to_protect_his_face_after_the_punch_while_other_ind-a-32_1702476333793.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\/13\/14\/78915685-12859573-image-a-39_1702477650057.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The official was discharged from hospital earlier on Wednesday, still sporting a black eye<\/p>\n<p>CNN T\u00fcrk Istanbul News Director Nihat Uludag detailed on air how two of those who have been detained for kicking the referee in the head gained entry to the match via VIP tickets. Both fans are said to be &#8216;known&#8217; to the club as they now are the subject of police enquiries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite being on the receiving end of the attack, Turkish media reported\u00a0Meler as saying &#8216;Thank you, it&#8217;s my fault&#8217; to the police as he exited.\u00a0It was not immediately clear whether Meler was apologising for the large amount of injury time or the sending off of two players.<\/p>\n<p>Koca &#8211; who is reported to have heart problems &#8211; was also hospitalised as a precaution, but would later be taken into custody following treatment,\u00a0Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.<\/p>\n<p>The Turkish Football Federation swiftly announced it was suspending all league games indefinitely after an emergency meeting held to discuss the violence.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;This attack is unfortunate and shameful in the name of football,&#8217; federation chief Buyukeksi said after the meeting earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We say enough is enough,&#8217; he added, insisting that all involved in the violence would be punished.<\/p>\n<p>Koca announced his resignation as president of Ankaragucu &#8211; a post he had held since 2021 &#8211; and admitted he felt &#8216;great embarrassment&#8217; for his actions and was stepping down to &#8216;prevent any further harm&#8217; to the club.<\/p>\n<p>However it had been earlier reported that he claimed he had not been responsible for the fractured eye socket suffered by the official, adding his intent was to spit into the referee&#8217;s face.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78867973-12859573-Koca_59_had_been_president_of_Ankaragucu_since_2021_and_has_cons-a-34_1702477136880.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Koca, 59, had been president of Ankaragucu since 2021, and has considered running for mayor<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78873115-12859573-Koca_was_earlier_reported_to_have_said_he_had_only_meant_to_have-a-35_1702477139126.jpg\" height=\"443\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Koca was earlier reported to have said he had only meant to have spat at the referee<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78844711-12859573-Rizespor_players_leave_the_field_after_the_incident_The_club_lat-a-36_1702477141456.jpg\" height=\"454\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Rizespor players leave the field after the incident. The club later posted on X, formerly Twitter<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78844715-12859573-Koca_could_be_seen_walking_away_after_the_confrontation_as_other-a-37_1702477144361.jpg\" height=\"428\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Koca could be seen walking away after the confrontation as others tried to speak to him<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;My aim was to react verbally to the referee and spit in his face,&#8217;\u00a0Koca said, as reported by CNN Turk.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;At this time, I slapped the referee in the face. The slap I gave did not cause a fracture.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;After the slap I gave, the referee stood for about 5-10 seconds, then threw himself on the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;They immediately removed me from the scene because of my heart disease. Other than that, I am not aware of any incident that took place.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Koca and two others were placed in pre-trial detention for &#8216;injuring and threatening a public official&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Referee Meler has issued a statement after being rushed to hospital saying Koca had threatened his life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Faruk Koca punched me under my left eye and I fell to the ground. While I was on the ground, they kicked my face and other parts of my body many times,&#8217; Meler said in a statement.\u00a0&#8216;Faruk Koca told me and my fellow referees: &#8216;I will finish you&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Addressing me in particular, he said: &#8216;I will kill you&#8217;,&#8217; Meler added.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/13\/14\/78861217-12859573-Turkish_president_Recep_Tayyip_Erdogan_visited_the_stricken_refe-a-33_1702476975309.jpg\" height=\"359\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Turkish president\u00a0Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the stricken referee in hospital on Tuesday<\/p>\n<p>While at hospital, Meler received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a visitor from his bed on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We would like to thank our Ministers of Justice, Internal Affairs, Youth and Sports who took quick action regarding the incident,&#8217; the federation president continued on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We took action by reforming Turkish football in a short time. Just as we were united that day, we need to be united today too. The Legal Consultancy made the referrals. The TFF Disciplinary Board will announce its decision on Thursday.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>It was also confirmed that matches scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week will be moved to the week of January 10.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12859573\/Turkish-restart-December-19-referee-hospitalised-attack-club-president.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turkish football set to restart on December 19 after season was suspended when referee was hospitalised with a cheek fracture <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302291,"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 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Turkish football set to restart on December 19 after referee attack - 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