Faruk Koca (born 15 April 1964 in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

) is a Turkish politician, entrepreneur, former sports official and convicted felon. He served as the president of

MKE Ankaragücü MKE Ankaragücü or fully Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Ankaragücü (), is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Ankara. The football team wears a yellow and navy kit and plays its home matches at Eryaman Stadium following the ...

between 2021 and 2023. Koca is a founding member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and served from October 2002 to June 2011 during the

22nd Parliament of Turkey This is a list of the 550 Members of Parliament elected in the 2002 general election held in Turkey. The MPs are listed by province, in order of election. Turkey uses a D'Hondt proportional representative system to elect Members of Parliament. ...

and

23rd Parliament of Turkey This is a list of the 550 Members of Parliament elected in the 2007 general election held in Turkey. The MPs are listed by province, in alphabetical order. Turkey uses a D'Hondt proportional representative system to elect Members of Parliament. ...

as a member of the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

Referee attack

On 11 December 2023, after Ankaragücü's match against

Çaykur Rizespor Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Rize, a city on the eastern Black Sea region, Black Sea coast. The team competes in the Süper Lig, the top tier of Football in Turkey, Turkish footba ...

, Koca physically assaulted referee Halil Umut Meler together with others and knocked him to the ground with a punch. According to statements from Justice Minister

Yılmaz Tunç Yılmaz Tunç (born 1 February 1971) is a Turkish politician of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Minister of Justice in the Cabinet of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Before he was several terms a member of the Grand National Assembly of Tu ...

and Interior Minister

Ali Yerlikaya Ali Yerlikaya (born 11 October 1968) is a Turkish people, Turkish bureaucrat serving as the Ministry of the Interior (Turkey), minister of the interior since 4 June 2023. He previously served as the governor of Istanbul from 2018 to 2023. Follow ...

, Koca and two other attackers were arrested. In his statement to investigators, Koca said the incident was sparked by the referee’s "wrong decisions" and "provocative behaviour". In addition, Koca stated that he approached the referee with the intention of "spitting in his face" rather than attacking him. Koca also said: "The slap I threw will not cause fractures. After the slap I gave, the referee stood for about 5–10 seconds and then threw himself on the ground. They immediately removed me from the scene because I had heart disease. I am not aware of any events that took place other than this. That's all I have to say"; Meler, meanwhile, said he fell to the ground after Koca hit him under his left eye and threatened to kill him. Koca allegedly told Meler and his assistants: "I will finish you. I will kill you." Following the attack, former Ankaragücü coach

Hikmet Karaman Hikmet Karaman (born March 9, 1960) is a UEFA pro licensed Turkish football manager. In the beginning of his coaching career, Hikmet Karaman worked as an assistant coach for managers like Reinhard Saftig and Mustafa Denizli in Galatasaray ...

claimed he had also been assaulted by Koca. A day after the incident, Koca apologized to Meler and his family in a press statement in which he also announced his resignation as the Ankaragücü club president. On 14 December 2023, the TFF announced that Koca had been banned permanently for punching Meler. Ankaragücü were fined two million

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

(£54,000) and ordered to play five home games without any fans. On 27 December 2023, Koca was released on bail following his lawyer's objection being accepted. Koca stood trial on 9 January 2024 on charges of injuring a public official, threatening an official and violating a law relating to the prevention of violence in sports. On 11 November, Koca was convicted and sentenced to 3.5 years' imprisonment for assaulting Meler.

References

1964 births Turkish football chairmen and investors Turkish sports executives and administrators Living people Politicians from Ankara Sportspeople from Ankara MKE Ankaragücü managers Justice and Development Party (Turkey) politicians Turkish prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Turkey 21st-century Turkish businesspeople Turkish businesspeople Members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Turkish sportsperson-politicians {{DEFAULTSORT:Koca, Faruk