Turkish Football Federation Permanently Bans President
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Alaina
- . December 15, 2023
- . Update: December 15, 2023 12:41 pm
Faruk Koca, the president of MKE Ankaragucu, has been permanently banned by the Turkish Football Federation for punching a referee on the field Monday night. The powerful punch had referee Halil Umut Meler sustain a small fracture near his eye. He was also kicked by several people when he fell to the ground.
Koca punched Meler, the FIFA-licensed referee, in the face after Rizespor scored a 97th minute goal after the final whistle, sealing a draw. The match between Ankaragucu and Caykur Rizespor ended 1-1. The 59-year-old president was taken into custody. He resigned on Tuesday.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Koca announced his resignation. “In order to avoid any further harm to the Ankaragucu club, Ankaragucu fans, the community I am in and my family, I would like to announce that I have resigned from the MKE Ankaragucu Presidency.”
MKE Ankaragucu President Was Angry
It was a very intense Turkish Cup match at Eryaman Stadyumu stadium, in Ankara. Ankaragucu was in the lead, securing a goal in the 14th minute. The match took a controversial twist when Meler sent off an Ankaragucu player in the second half for accumulating two yellow cards.
Koco told the local media that the incident developed because of the referee’s wrong decisions and provocative behavior. “My aim was to react verbally to the referee and spit in his face. Meanwhile, I slapped the referee in the face. The slap I gave does not cause a fracture.
“After the slap, the referee was standing about five to 10 minutes. He stood for a second. Then Meler threw himself on the ground. They immediately removed me from the scene because I had a heart condition. I am not aware of any other incident that took place.”
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Turkish Football Federation Condemns Incident
The Turkish Football Federation took swift action and indefinitely postponed the matches. “We strongly condemn the inhumane and despicable attack on Halil Umut Meler, the referee of the match with a FIFA license, by self-aware criminals after the Trendyol Super Lig match. The responsible club, the Club President, its managers and all the criminals who attacked Halil Umut Meler will be punished in the most severe way.”
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, also condemned the attack. He said there is absolutely no place for violence in football, on or off the field. “Without match officials, there is no football. Referees, players, fans and staff have to be safe and secure to enjoy the game, and I call on the relevant authorities to ensure that this is strictly implemented and respected at all levels.”
