All Turkish Leagues Suspended After Club President Punches Referee On Face

With MKE Ankaragücü's President Faruk Koca punching the referee right on the face following the Super Lig home fixture against Rizespor, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended all the leagues effective immediately. The TFF took to its official Twitter handle and put out a lengthy statement to announce the same.

The infamous incident occurred during the Super Lig fixture between Ankaragucu and Rizespor as Koca invaded the football pitch after the final whistle blew to hit Halil Umut Meler, the referee. Ankaragucu fans also invaded the field and Meler was hurt again. He was able to make out of the field with the help of the police officials.

Turkish President takes strong stance against violence:

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a strong stance against violence, stating that it is strictly prohibited in sports in their country. He tweeted the below on X:

"Sport means peace and brotherhood. Sport is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports."

Notably, the 37-year-old Meler has been a FIFA referee since 2017 and took charge of the Lazio's group-stage fixtures on November 28th with Celtic. Ankaragucu are languishing 11th in the standings, three spots below Rizespor on 22 points after 15 games.