Soccer-Referee says he won't forgive Turkish club chief for attack

FILE PHOTO: Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler leaves from a hospital in Ankara, Turkey December 13, 2023. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan/File Photo

(Reuters) - Referee Halil Umut Meler said he will not forgive Turkish club Ankaragucu's president Faruk Koca for punching him in the face at the end of a Super Lig match last week.

The Turkish Football Federation's (TFF) disciplinary board imposed a permanent ban on Koca, who entered the field and hit Meler when the final whistle blew after Rizespor scored a 97th-minute equaliser at Ankaragucu's Eryaman Stadium.