Turkish referee leaves hospital after vicious on-pitch attack by club president

13 December 2023 , 12:19

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Turkish referee leaves hospital after vicious on-pitch attack by club president

Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler has been discharged from hospital after being viciously attacked by a club president at the end of a Super Lig game on Monday.

Meler was injured by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca, resulting in a small fracture under his eye. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended domestic football indefinitely following the incident and will hold a meeting to discuss the events. Meler was pictured battered and bruised and wearing a neck brace in hospital on Tuesday but was discharged on Wednesday morning.

Turkey's justice minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that Koca had been arrested "for injuring and threatening a public servant due to his public duty". Koca later resigned as president via Ankaragucu's official website. Meler was visited in hospital by TFF president Mehmet Buyukeksi and interior minister Ali Yerlikaya.

Buyukeksi said: "This sad event should definitely not be forgotten. This should be a milestone." He added: "We will provide detailed information after tomorrow's board meeting. In this meeting, we will discuss all the issues clearly. We will give detailed information about the decisions we will make about how the league will continue."

"Let's underline again we strongly condemn the incident on behalf of the Turkish Football Federation board of directors and myself. This incident happened, but we cannot accept it being back to its old state in two weeks."

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In October, Turkey was given the honour of co-hosting Euro 2032 with Italy. Buyukeksi said he had already received assurances from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin that Monday's incident had not jeopardised that project.

Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler left hospital in Ankara on Wednesday (AP)

FIFA and UEFA have both condemned the attack on Meler, who was in charge of West Ham's Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar last season. Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Meler on the telephone.

Koca announced on Tuesday afternoon he had quit in "order to prevent any further harm to the Ankaragucu club, Ankaragucu fans, the community I am in and my family".

He added: "I hope that this incident, which I, more than anyone else, cannot accept, will be a reason for our sports life, especially our football community, to be purified from mistakes, shortcomings and the culture of violence. At the same time, I hope that the structural problems of Turkish football will be discussed more realistically due to this grave incident that I caused."

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Matt Maltby