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

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

TIPPING POINT? Abuse of referees is a cause of concern across the sporting spectrum at this stage but the behaviour of Faruk Koca, President of MKE Ankaragucu, in striking referee Halil Umut Meler after the Turkish Super Lig game between MKE Ankaragucu and Rizespor in Ankara seems an appropriate intervention for...well intervention. Pic: Emin Sansar/Anadolu

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.