Turkish Super Lig Postponed Indefinitely After Shocking Ref Punch

A shocking attack on referee Halil Umut Meler by MKE Ankaragucu’s president has resulted in the “indefinite postponement” of the Turkish Super Lig.

Meler was punched by Faruk Koca after seeing him run onto the field at the end of a meeting with Caykur Rizespor that saw his side concede a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Turkish FA chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi has said: “The matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely. This attack is a night of shame for Turkish football.” After falling to the turf, Meler was attacked by several other individuals – leading to him suffering a number of injuries, including a minor fracture. Koca also required medical care and Turkey’s minister of internal affairs, Ali Yerlikaya, has said that “detention procedures will be carried out after the treatment.”

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The chief physician of the hospital that treated top official Meler – who takes charge of international games for FIFA – said of his injuries: “There is no life threat for the moment. He only has bleeding around his left eye and a small fracture. We will [monitor] our referee until the morning due to head trauma. We will discharge him from hospital after the necessary examinations in the morning.”

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke out against the incident by saying: “I condemn the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler after the MKE Ankaragucu-Caykur Rizespor match played this evening, and I wish him a speedy recovery. Sports means peace and brotherhood. Sport is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports.”

MKE Ankaragucu said in a statement when addressing the behaviour of their president: “We are saddened by the incident that took place this evening. We apologise to the Turkish football public and the entire sports community for the sad incident that occurred after the Caykur Rizespor match at Eryaman Stadium.”

Caykur Rizespor said in a message of support for Meler: “We strongly condemn the undesirable events that occurred after the Ankaragucu match we played today. We convey our wishes to the entire referee community, especially the referee of the match, Halil Umut Meler, to get well soon.”

The Turkish FA is currently debating its next move, 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. We invite everyone to take responsibility. [Ankaragucu] and its managers will be punished most severely.” On Tuesday, talks about punitive measures for the parties concerned will start.