ANKARA (Reuters) – According to the chief doctor, the referee who was punched by the head of a top-tier Turkish soccer club on the pitch has been released from the hospital with a swollen eye but no other health issues. The incident occurred at the end of a Super Lig match, where referee Halil Umut Meler was punched in the face and kicked while lying on the pitch. TV footage showed him leaving the Ankara hospital and entering a black van.
Chief doctor Mehmet Yorubulut stated that Meler’s head fracture would heal in time and that the bleeding in his left eye had almost completely stopped. The president of Ankaragucu club, Faruk Koca, was arrested for the attack and had also threatened to kill him during the incident.
The violence occurred at the end of Ankaragucu’s home match against Rizespor. Koca entered the field and hit Meler when the final whistle blew after Rizespor scored a 97th-minute equalizer in the 1-1 draw. The federation has announced that Ankaragucu, its chairman, club officials, and all individuals guilty of attacking the referee will be “punished in the strongest terms possible” and has suspended all matches.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)
