The Turkish authorities announced the arrest of Faruk Koca, president of Ankaragücü club, in connection with his brutal assault on the referee of the Rizaspor match in the Turkish league.
Referee Halil Umut Melir sent off a player from each team during the match, and Rizaspor succeeded in scoring the equalizer in the 97th minute, which angered Koca and his entourage.
After the end of the match that was held for round 15, Koca and his entourage descended onto the field and violently attacked the referee in a scene that never happens in professional football.
This position sparked widespread anger among the Turkish government, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what happened, who published a statement in which he wrote, “Sports means peace and brotherhood. Sports are incompatible with violence. We will never allow acts of violence to occur in Turkish sports.”
Subsequently, the Turkish TRT network reported that the authorities arrested Koca and 6 other people suspected of attacking Miller.
At the same time, the Turkish Football Federation suspended football competitions in the country indefinitely in response to these violent events.
It is expected that Koca and his entourage will be subjected to harsh criminal penalties for assaulting the referee, and their future in the world of football is likely over.
It is noteworthy that after the incident, the Ankaragücü club came out and published a statement in which it apologized for what happened. FIFA President Gianni Infantio also appeared on Instagram and wrote, “The events in Ankara are completely unacceptable, and have no place in our sport or our society.”
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