Former club president at Ankaragucu Faruk Koca has been sentenced to more than three and a half year in prison for punching referee Halil Umut Melee during a Super Lig game in December 2023.
It all happened when Ankaragucu conceded a late equalizer in one of their league fixture against Rizespor, as the match would eventually finished 1-1. Koca made his way into the pitch and punched the referee, causing him to have a black eye.
The incident, which caused outrage across the world, forced the Turkish Football Federation to put on hold all league games for several weeks.
Ankaragucu were fined two million Turkish Lira (£45,000) and forced to play five games without fans as a result of the melee, which also saw Koca resign as club president soon after.
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Former Club president handed jail term
Faruk Koca has now convicted for “intentionally wounding a public official” and sentenced him to three years and seven months in jail by a court in Turkiye, albeit his legal representatives have spoken of an appeal.
In addition, the court has also added that three other people who were also on trial for attacking the referee were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five years.
