All football in Turkey has been put on hold with immediate effect by the country’s governing body after a referee was punched by a club owner after a Super Lig match on Monday night.
Things turned bad after Ankaragucu conceded a 97th minute goal in their game against Caykur Rizespor to see the match end 1-1. After the final whistle blew Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca stormed onto the pitch and punched referee Halil Umut Meler, knocking him to the ground.
As a result of these unprecedented actions the Turkish FA released a statement confirming that matches across all leagues under its control would be postponed.
“The matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely,” said FA chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi.
“This attack is a night of shame for Turkish football.”
Referee Meler is a highly respected international referee who is on FIFA’s elite panel. A spokesperson for the hospital where he was admitted after the incident said: “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.”
It is unclear when scheduled football in Turkey will resume once again.
