Turkish football club MKE Ankaragucu have defended their former president Faruk Koca as being the “target of one-sided public perception” after he was sentenced to more than three years in prison for assaulting a referee last year.
Koca punched referee Halil Umut Meler at the end of a Turkish Super Lig match in December after his team conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Caykur Rizespor.
A statement from Ankaragucu chairman Ismail Mert Firat on Tuesday said the verdict was “impossible to interpret with good intentions” and added that Koca had been involved in “no disgraceful crime.”
The statement highlighted that Koca had resigned the following day “without any justifications for his impulsive reaction” and had “displayed a common sense attitude.”
The club describes Koca as a “legendary president” and they intend to stand by him.
Başkanımız İsmail Mert Fırat’ın, gündeme dair açıklamaları; pic.twitter.com/YF7lyWazXM
— MKE Ankaragücü (@Ankaragucu) November 11, 2024
Koca was arrested the day after the December 2023 incident as 38-year-old Meler was hospitalised with a broken eye socket, while the Turkish Football Federation suspended matches for a week amid the fallout from the incident and Ankaragucu were ordered to play five matches without fans.
On Monday, the Ankara court found Koca guilty of “intentionally wounding a public official”. The former club president will not be sent to jail until the higher court rules on the appeal.
Koca was also given a suspended sentence of under a year for making threats and violating laws related to violence in sport.
The incident saw Meler fall to the ground and subsequently receive several blows to the head as he lay on the turf, including a small facial fracture.
Mehmet Yorubulut, chief doctor at Acibadem hospital, said the referee suffered “bleeding around his left eye and a small fracture” but would suffer no lasting damage.
Koca stormed the pitch to punch Meler in the face after full-time (Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meler is one of Turkey’s top referees, having overseen international matches for FIFA. He has held a position on UEFA’s elite referee list since 2022 and has official several Champions League and Nations League matches this season.
Turkish football has often been blighted by moments of controversy. On the day the Turkish Super Lig resumed after the punch on Meler, Istanbulspor president Ecmel Faik Sarialioglu ordered his players off the pitch in the 73rd minute of his side’s match against Trabzonspor. Sarialioglu was upset that the referee did not award his team a penalty before Paul Onuachu scored to give Trabzonspor a 2-1 lead.
In March, Fenerbahce said they were considering all options “including the withdrawal of our football team from the Super Lig” after supporters of opponents Trabzonspor invaded the pitch and fought with police and Fenerbahce players, who had won the game 3-2.
(Baris Oral/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
