Turkish football league suspended after Ankaragucu president punches referee

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended all leagues following a night of "shame" after Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca punched a referee in the face at the end of their Super Lig home match against Rizespor.

Koca walked on to the pitch and hit referee Halil Umut Meler after the final whistle blew after Rizespor scored a 97th minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Eryaman Stadium on Monday.

Meler, a Fifa referee since 2017, was also attacked by Ankaragucu fans who invaded the pitch after the game, though it was unclear who his assailants were. Images show Meler with a black eye from the attacks. He eventually made it to the dressing room with the help of the police.

"The Turkish Football Federation has decided to suspend all games in all leagues indefinitely," the federation posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The related club, the club chairman, club officials and all those guilty of attacking referee Umut Meler will be punished in the strongest terms possible."

Shocking video shows the moment a football referee is punched to the ground in a vicious assault by an angry club president during a wild full-time brawl in Turkey. #9News

READ MORE: https://t.co/1Q5ruWQYCj pic.twitter.com/0gRFt4nloJ

Meler, 37, required hospital treatment and the chief physician of the hospital where he was treated, Dr Mehmet Yorubulut, said: "There is no life threat for the moment. He only has bleeding around his left eye and a small fracture.

"We will [monitor] our referee until the morning due to head trauma. We will discharge him from hospital after the necessary examinations in the morning."

Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said a detention order has been issued for Koca, adding that two people have already been detained