Source: REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
[Saba Sports News] According to Turkish media reports, the president of Ankara Gucu club was sentenced to 3 years, 7 months, and 22 days in prison for assaulting the main referee after a match due to dissatisfaction with the officiating. Reports indicate that the plaintiff’s lawyer did not accept the defendant’s statements made during the trial and requested the harshest punishment for the defendant. The court sentenced the president of Ankara Gucu club to 3 years, 7 months, and 22 days in prison for “intentionally harming others in the field of sports.” Meanwhile, this club president will face judgments for two other charges, with sentencing scheduled for a later date. In a Super League match last December, referee Umut Meler’s officiating angered the president of Ankara Gucu, Faruk Koca. After the match, Koca rushed onto the field, first punching referee Meler in the face and then continuing to kick and punch Meler while he was on the ground. Meler was later taken to a local hospital for treatment. Subsequently, the Turkish Football Federation officially announced an indefinite suspension of all football leagues in Turkey. The Turkish Interior Minister announced that Faruk Koca, who attacked referee Meler, would be detained. The Turkish Football Federation also later announced that the president of Ankara Gucu, who previously assaulted a referee, would be banned for life.