{"id":82976,"date":"2023-12-12T16:23:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/?p=82976"},"modified":"2023-12-12T16:23:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:23:01","slug":"turkish-football-club-president-resigns-after-hospitalising-referee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/lifestyle\/turkish-football-club-president-resigns-after-hospitalising-referee\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkish football club president RESIGNS after\u00a0hospitalising referee"},"content":{"rendered":"
MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca has announced his resignation after his on-pitch attack on referee Halil Umut Meler.<\/p>\n
Koca was seen striking Meler’s\u00a0cheek beneath his left eye after Monday night’s match between\u00a0Ankaragucu and\u00a0Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish Super Lig.<\/p>\n
The punch sent\u00a0Meler to the ground, with others then laying into him with a series of kicks as he curled up on the grass covering his face.<\/span><\/p>\n Fans also invaded the pitch after Rizespor scored an equaliser seven minutes into eight minutes of injury time, prompting police to escort the referee to safety.<\/span><\/p>\n The actions have been condemned\u00a0nationally by Turkish authorities, with world and European governing bodies FIFA and UEFA also speaking out against the violent scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meler was punched by Koca and kicked in the head on the ground after a match on Monday\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Koca, who has been the president of Ankaragucu since 2021, has now confirmed his resignation in a statement on the club’s website.<\/p>\n The 59-year-old admitted he felt ‘great embarrassment’ for his actions and was stepping down to ‘prevent any further harm’ to the club.<\/p>\n ‘I would like to announce to the public that I have resigned from the MKE Ankarag\u00fcc\u00fc Presidency in order to prevent any further harm to the Ankarag\u00fcc\u00fc club, Ankarag\u00fcc\u00fc fans, the community I am in and my family,’\u00a0Koca said.<\/p>\n ‘I hope that this incident, which I, more than anyone else, cannot accept, will be a reason for our sports life, especially our football community, to be purified from mistakes, shortcomings and the culture of violence.<\/p>\n ‘At the same time, I hope that the structural problems of Turkish football will be discussed more realistically due to this grave incident that I caused.<\/p>\n ‘I would like to take this opportunity to apologize again to everyone I have upset, especially Ankarag\u00fcc\u00fc fans.<\/p>\n ‘I would like it to be known that I am deeply saddened that both the club I manage, the football community, and our country are remembered with such an event and image.’<\/p>\n Koca issued an apology to Meler and his family, as well as the Turkish refereeing community and the nation.<\/p>\n He admitted that attitudes that ‘cast a shadow on fair play’ do not belong in stadiums, adding he had attempted to take constructive initiatives since becoming club president.<\/p>\n