Turkey’s club president jailed three years for punching referee during match
Former president of Turkish club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, has been sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for assaulting a referee, Halil Umut Meler.
He also received a suspended sentence of under a year for making threats and violating laws related to violence in sports. The ex-club president was sentenced on Monday.
Mr Koca assaulted the referee during a match between Ankaragucu and Caykur Rizespor in the Super Lig.
In December 2023, after Ankaragucu conceded a 97th-minute equaliser against Caykur Rizespor, Koca, alongside three other individuals, stormed the pitch and attacked the referee, punching him several times in the face.
Mr Meler later required treatment for a fractured eye socket and other injuries.
The incident led to the suspension of league matches by the Turkish Football Federation for a week.
Mr Koca was also given a lifetime football ban by the TFF.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday, the club rejected the verdict.
“No disgrace crime” had been committed, said Ankaragucu chairman Ismail Mert Firat in the statement.
The club claimed it was “impossible to interpret the sentence with good intentions.”
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