‘I will never forgive’: referee punched in Turkey opens up over incident

Turkey’s top league resumed on Tuesday after a one-week suspension.

Thu, 21 Dec, 2023 - 08:57

Referee Halil Umut Meler has said he will not forgive Ankaragucu’s president Faruk Koca for punching him in the face at the end of a Turkish Super Lig match last week.

The Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) disciplinary board imposed a permanent ban on Koca, who entered the field and hit Meler when the final whistle blew after Rizespor scored a 97th-minute equaliser at Ankaragucu’s Eryaman Stadium. Meler was then kicked in the head as he lay on the pitch.

Koca was arrested a day after the incident, with Meler telling police that the official had threatened to kill him. Koca has apologised, saying: “Nothing can legitimise or explain the violence that I committed.”

Meler told the Turkish news daily Hurriyet: “No, I did not forgive [Koca], I will not forgive. The person who did this punched me, I collapsed and fell to the ground. But the actual kicking while I was on the ground will be something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

“That’s why, in conscience, I will never forgive. I will not forgive in any way, I will never forgive those who did it or those who provoked it.”

Turkey’s top league resumed on Tuesday after a one-week suspension. That night Istanbulspor walked off the pitch in an apparent protest at a refereeing decision in their Super Lig game against Trabzonspor.

Also on Tuesday a third-division game between Bursaspor and Diyarbakirspor was marred by a violent brawl between the players and altercations among the fans after the final whistle. The referee responded by sending off three Diyarbakirspor players and two from Bursaspor, the home side.

Reuters and Guardian