The 15th round of the Turkish league, which included the derby between Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş and which was originally scheduled to end on Monday with two matches between minor teams, has ended up making international headlines because of the scandal and the savage attack that took place at the end of the match between Ankaragücü, a team from the Turkish capital, and Çaykur Rizespor, from the Black Sea. With the match already finished (1-1), the president of the capital team, Faruk Koca, jumped onto the pitch and, without thinking twice, ran towards the referee, Halil Umut Meler, and punched him in the face.
After a brief scuffle on the pitch, with the fans still hot and booing the referee, and the referee on the ground while TFF staff tried to protect him, several players carried Koca away from the scene, who still tried to attack the referee again while he was on the ground; he, still in shock and also kicked in the face while on the ground (presumably by members of the Ankaragücü coaching staff), was later able to get up but his face was visibly bruised, with one eye completely swollen.
The reason for this savage and unjustifiable assault by the Ankaragücü president and some of his coaching staff? The penalty that the referee awarded to Rizespor in stoppage time, which allowed the Black Sea team to equalise the match that the Ankara team had been winning since the 14th minute of the game. In addition, a few minutes into the second half, the referee sent off Gambian striker Ali Sowe for a questionable second yellow card, leaving Ankaragücü with a player down (although Rizespor’s Emir Han was also shown a second yellow card in the 90th minute).
Both decisions undoubtedly sparked the ire of the local coaching staff – who must have thought that everything was part of who knows what conspiracy – and unfortunately decided that the matter should be decided outside of sport. By now, the referee has filed a formal complaint against Koca for this savage assault. But the scandal and outrage in the Turkish league has only just begun, and the final consequences are yet to be seen.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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