Turkey football club chief jailed over attack on ref

A former football chief in Turkey's Super Lig was sentenced to more than three years in prison Monday over an on-pitch attack on a referee, the Anadolu news agency reported. The incident occurred in December 2023 following a 1-1 draw between Ankara's MKA Ankaragucu and visiting Caykur Rizespor in Turkey's top flight.

Footage from the scene showed Ankaragucu's then president Faruk Koca rushing onto the pitch and punching referee Halil Umut Meler after he blew the final whistle, shouting: "I'm going to kill you!" He appeared to be incensed over the ref's decision to send off one of his players, and disallowing an earlier goal by Ankaragucu. Caykur had scored an equaliser in injury time.

Denouncing the attack as "despicable", the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended Super Lig matches for eight days and initiated criminal proceedings against Koca and several others. Several days later, Koca apologised and resigned as club president but insisted his team had been cheated by the referee.

The court on Monday handed him three years and seven months for "intentional injury to a public sports official" as well as six months and 20 days for "making threats". It also handed him a five-month suspended sentence for "violating the law on violence prevention in sports". During the incident, the referee -- who fell to the ground after being punched -- was also kicked several times by other club officials, leaving him with a head trauma.

The court also handed prison sentences to three other officials for causing, or trying to cause, "intentional injury" to a public sports official, with sentences ranging from one to five years behind bars. The incident provoked uproar in Turkey and a flurry of condemnation, including from FIFA, football's world governing body.