Russian judges express support for the beaten Turkish judge, Mazic said

The head of the refereeing department of the Russian Football Union (RFU), Milorad Mazic, reacted to the beating of Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler by former Ankaragucu president Farukh Koca.

On Monday, after the end of the Turkish championship match between Ankaragucu and Rizespor (1:1), Koca hit the referee in the face. The judge was eventually taken to hospital and was released on Wednesday. Koca, who was detained by police as part of the investigation, later announced that he had resigned as president of Ankaragucu. The prosecutor’s office charged him with “threats, deliberate infliction of injury with a broken bone on the sports ground due to the victim’s professional duty.”

— All Russian judges express support for Khalil Umut Meler. The violent scene that took place in Turkey deeply shocked the entire football world and especially the refereeing community. In this situation, the entire football world needs to demonstrate unity and show the unacceptability of violence against referees and the importance of adhering to our core values, such as fair play and respect,” Mazic told RT.

Professional football matches in Turkey, suspended due to the incident, will resume on December 19.