All Turkish soccer league games have been suspended after a referee was apparently punched in the face by a club president following a game on Monday night, BBC reported.
Video shows the referee being popped by MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca, who had dashed onto the field after his team gave up a tying goal in the last minutes of a Super Lig matchup with Caykur Rizespor, according to BBC. The video also shows another man kicking the ref in the head after he fell to the ground, the outlet reported.
“The matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely,” Turkish FA [TFF] chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi said in a news conference. “This attack is a night of shame for Turkish football,” he added. (RELATED: Video Shows Wild Referee Brawl During Colorado Youth Basketball Game)
Turkish league club president punches ref in face
Turkish side Ankaragucu’s president Faruk Koca punched referee Halil Umut Meler in the face at the end of their Super Lig home match after Rizespor scored a 97th minute equaliser on Monday.https://t.co/dDcsEPg7XH
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The incident, which ignited chaotic fighting between players and club officials, was addressed by Turkey’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ali Yerlikaya, BBC reported. The outlet reported Yerlikaya saying that arrests would be made following the ref’s treatment and that he “strongly condemned” the incident.
The referee is currently in the hospital where the doctor treating him said, “There is no life threat for the moment. He only has bleeding around his left eye and a small fracture,” according to BBC.
“We will [monitor] our referee until the morning due to head trauma,” the doctor told BBC. “We will discharge him from hospital after the necessary examinations in the morning.”
“Sports means peace and brotherhood,” Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. “Sport is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports.”
MKE Ankaragucu addressed its president’s violent actions in a statement, BBC reported.
“We are saddened by the incident that took place this evening,” the statement read. “We apologize to the Turkish football public and the entire sports community for the sad incident that occurred after the Caykur Rizespor match at Eryaman Stadium.”
Turkish soccer head Buyukeksi said, “Football matches are not a war, there is no death at the end. Not all teams can become champions at the same time. We all need to understand this.” Buyukeksi added, “[Ankaragucu] and its managers will be punished most severely,” per BBC.