by In a fit of anger Faruk Koca, the president of MKE Ankaragucu, who was charged on the field after his team conceded a last gasp equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Caykur Rizespor. Few could have imagined what would happen next. Koca punched the referee, Halil Umut Meler, in the face.
The referee hit the floor and was kicked several times in the ensuing melee. Koca and his gang were eventually restrained but the damage was done. Meler was eventually escorted off the field by his fellow game officials with a visibly swollen black eye. Jonjo Shelvey was among the players who were excited about what they had just seen. But as terrifying as the incident was, I was not surprised.
Related: Turkish football league suspended after Ankaragucu president punishes referee
Koca, who won the fair play award in November 2022, said the referee’s “provocative behaviour” was the catalyst and that he aimed to “spit in his face” and respond “verbally”.
Meler had a different version of events. “Koca said to me and my colleagues: ‘I will finish you.’ Speaking to me, he said: ‘I will kill you.'” Koca and two other suspects were arrested. Meler required treatment in hospital for bleeding around his eye and a small fracture.
By Tuesday night Koca had resigned and apologized. “Nothing can justify or explain the violence I committed,” he said. “Sports fields should be a place of gentlemen’s competition. Any attitude that overshadows the fair play, including my own, should not be present in stadiums.”
However, Turkish football has developed a toxic attitude towards refereeing – and it’s working very well. This did not happen overnight. Throughout the years Turkish club officials, directors and presidents have abused referees. Elements of the sports media contributed to the narrative that the referees were dishonest, corrupt individuals working in a world with shadowy forces to hold back whichever team was getting a bad decision that week.
That has spilled over into fan culture. He has reached the fever field. Rational football fans truly believe that there are referees who conspire with rival teams and are part of a deep-state football apparatus that sabotages their progress. Refereeing as an institution is widely believed to be corrupt and openly advocated at the highest level of sport.
The physical attack on Meler has been condemned by almost every club, the sports media and the football federation. Football has been suspended. “The matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely,” Turkish confederation chairman Mehmet Buyukeksi told a news conference. “This attack is a shame for Turkish football. That’s enough. Every day they accuse referees. Referees are human, of course they make mistakes but it’s not an answer with punches and kicks. We have to put an end to this.”
There are crocodile tears from people who have contributed to this hypocritical environment. Everyone is responsible for their actions and Ankaragucu undoubtedly deserves the severe punishment that the club and the president will receive. But it would be wrong to see this as an isolated random incident and then carry on as usual.
In October, Fenerbahce president Ali Koc said: “It was very strange [refereeing] decisions in the last seven weeks; in almost every game decisions were made that affected the score.” Then he named four referees as people who needed to investigate their bad officials.
Former Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi said last month: “The referees have changed the way we are targeted – they are running their operations against us through VAR.”
Galatasaray released a “referee report” in April claiming: “Referees who make mistakes in games that don’t concern us are punished, referees who make mistakes in games for Galatasaray are rewarded.”
This rhetoric is common among most clubs in all leagues across Turkish football and referees are always in the limelight in the media. Not a week goes by without a referee scandal.
An illusion was created that the bad state of Turkish football is the result of referees. The fans have been told the lie that their respective clubs would be dripping with silverware if not for the insidious referee mafia holding them back. It is farcical. But it is convenient for clubs, under enormous pressure to succeed, to find a scapegoat.
Meler is on the Uefa elite list and is performing at the highest level. Turkish referees have officiated in Champions League finals and the final stages of the World Cup and European Championships.
Referees have made mistakes and the lack of transparency in explaining controversial decisions and refusing to apologize for errors adds fuel to the fire.
At this point, trying to silence dissent against the referees will only make matters worse as confidence in the performance has been completely eroded. VAR controversies have affected negative sentiment. And this revolt against refereeing is growing, not only in Turkish football but in other national leagues.
The federation, clubs, sports media and referee bodies must work together to restore faith in the system. The clubs and the sports media need to take a more mature approach. Referees are often used as a scapegoat, a convenient excuse for the team’s failures. The referees could also be involved in being more transparent, explaining their decisions and the rules openly to the fans.
Unless serious changes are made, Monday’s incident will be forgotten all over again. After all, who remembers when Trabzonspor fans attacked a referee in the 89th minute against Fenerbahce in 2016?
