The ‘barbaric’ attack on a top referee has been labeled on the country’s front pages as the ‘darkest night in Turkish football history’.
The chairman of a top Turkish football club sparked outrage on Monday evening after he ran onto the pitch after a draw and punched a referee in the face.
With Turkey as a country stunned by the attack, the Super Lig has been suspended indefinitely.
Milliyet’s front page carried the headline ‘Night of Shame’, accompanied by a photo of the attack on referee Halil Umut Meler.
Follow-up words added: ‘Turkish football had the darkest night in its history yesterday.’
Turkey’s front pages reacted to the ‘night of shame’ when a football referee was punched in the face
The moment when the fist of Faruk Koca, chairman of a top football club, makes contact with the face of referee Halil Umut Meler on Monday evening after a match in the Turkish Super Lig
Horrible scenes began when Ankaragucu’s president punched the referee in the face
Meler collapsed to the ground after being hit by Koca following the 1-1 draw
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Turkiye headlined: ‘The great shame’, accompanied by a photo of one of the punches.
Gruesome footage showed President Faruk Koca’s fist hitting the referee’s cheek just below his left eye, causing the referee to fall to the ground.
Others then subjected him to a series of kicks as he curled up on the ground and covered his face.
A large crowd of players, coaching staff and security quickly rushed to the scene and stopped the attack, eventually helping the shocked Meler to his feet. After he was led away, he was seen with a swollen eye.
The shocking scenes, condemned by the country’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, began at the end of a match that ended 1-1.
Fans and club officials alike stormed the pitch after Rizespor scored the equalizer in the 97th minute, prompting police to escort the referee to safety.
But despite being on the receiving end of the attack, Turkish media reported that Meler said: “Thank you, it’s my fault” as he left.
Koca stormed onto the pitch after his side’s draw against Rizespor and attacked the referee
Meler tried to protect his face after the blow as other people kicked him to the ground
Koca could be seen walking away after the confrontation as others tried to talk to him
It is understood the referee suffered a fractured cheek, while Koca – who is said to have heart problems – was hospitalized as a precaution but would later be taken into custody after treatment, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
It was later reported that Koca – who recorded a blood pressure of 190 – had been sent to a courthouse in Ankara along with six others involved in the incident. Turkish news channel Spor Arena said Koca and three others had been officially arrested.
“This attack is unfortunate and shameful in the name of football,” federation chief Mehmet Buyukeksi said after the meeting.
“We say enough is enough,” he added, stressing that all those involved in the violence would be punished.”
Buyukeksi also blamed the attack on a culture of contempt towards referees in Turkey.
“Anyone who targeted referees and encouraged them to commit crimes is complicit in this despicable attack,” he said.
“The irresponsible statements made by club presidents, managers, coaches and television commentators against referees have paved the way for this attack.”
Mail Sport has launched a campaign to stop the abuse of referees at all levels of the game
