The Turkish Ankaragucu football club president Faruk Koca was arrested (along with two other suspected of kicking the referee) for "injuring a public official" ....
.jpg "Faruk Koca Punching The Referee (Not Slapping)") |
| Faruk Koca 'Punching' The Referee (Not Slapping) |
.... after punching referee Halil Umut Meler, in the face at the end of a Turkish Super Lig soccer match.
The opposition team Rizespor had scored a 97th minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Eryaman Stadium. The Turkish Super Lig was immediately suspended indefinitely after the attack, a result that was reminiscent of the suspension of the Greek Super League in 2018, that resulted after a club president went on the pitch and confronted the referee ... indeed the Greek Super League is again currently being played behind closed doors because of crowd issues at sports clubs associated to soccer clubs.
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| Halil Umut Meler Clearly Injured |
The referee was escorted of the pitch by the police, and he went to Acibadem hospital where Mehmet Yorubulut, chief doctor of the hospital said "The bleeding in Meler's left eye started to decrease" and there will be no permanent damage ...."The fracture there will gradually heal. There is no brain damage."
Faruk Koca's explanation for his extraordinary actions was breathtakingly arrogant .... a fact which might stem from the fact that he was twice elected to Turkey's parliament, as part of President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
According to Demiroren News Agency in Turkey, which quoted Koca telling the court:
"This incident developed due to the wrong decisions and provocative behaviour of the referee. My aim was to react verbally to the referee and spit in his face. At this time, I slapped the referee in the face. The slap I gave would not cause a fracture. After my slap, the referee threw himself on the ground. They immediately removed me from the scene because I have a heart condition."
Laughable .... lying is so part of the culture there, that despite the filmed evidence, he tries to claim that:
- It would have been OK to "spit in his face," and
- The referee was faking it, as it was only a "slap" and so it couldn't have fractured his eye socket.
- Oh and its not my fault, as I have a heart condition (that didn't stop him running the pitch to punch the referee).
If, as many suspect to be the case, justice in Turkey is highly politicised, then maybe this ridiculous defence explanation, will get this arrogant man off the obvious assault that the whole world has now seen on the Internet.
It won't just be the football world that will be watching the outcome of this incident with considerable interest.
Update: 10/11/204 A court in Turkey sentenced Faruk Koca the former Turkish top-flight football club executive to more than three and a half years in prison for attacking Halil Umut Meler the referee. Three other people who were also on trial for attacking the referee, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five year. All are expected to appeal their sentences .....
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