Former Turkish club president sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting referee

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Faruk Koca, former Ankaragucu leader, sentenced over incident last December

Former Turkish club president sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting referee
Former Turkish club president sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting referee

Former Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca was sentenced on Monday to three years and seven months in prison for assaulting a referee during a match against Rizespor on December 11, 2023, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

After the final whistle, Koca approached referee Halil Umut Meler and punched him hard in the face, saying: “I’m going to kill you.”

All this because the referee disallowed a goal for Ankaragucu at the last minute. In addition to the former manager, two other people also attacked the referee, causing him a head injury.

At the time, Koca was arrested and later released. Days later, the former MP resigned from his position at the Turkish capital’s club.

The incident caused great uproar in Turkey and a series of reactions, including from the president of FIFA. The Turkish Football Federation decided to postpone all league matches for the following weekend.