Turkish Soccer League Had To Suspend All Their Games After A Team President Ran Onto The Field To Punch A Ref Square In The Face
AP -- Turkish authorities on Tuesday arrested the president of top-flight soccer club after he punched a referee in the face at the end of match, prompting the Turkish Football Federation to suspend all league games.
MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca attacked referee Halil Umut Meler on the pitch late Monday after the final whistle, following a 1-1 draw in a Super Lig game against Caykur Rizespor.
...The federation announced it suspended all league games indefinitely after an emergency meeting held to discuss the violence.
So I'm shocked to find out this Turkish soccer league ended up suspending all the other games in the league because of that punch. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty solid punch. That man ran out on to the pitch with a purpose, and landed a heavy right to the orbital.
Personally I would have just assumed that's par for the course as far as the Turkish Football Federation goes. A club president who is probably connected somehow to the seedy underbelly of society, and he's quite displeased with the results of the match. I figured it's as commonplace as a post-game handshake. But I guess not.
However, let this just serve as a reminder of how good refs in America have it. A bad day for refs in America is they get yelled at by Patrick Mahomes for a few minutes, and then everybody thinks Mahomes looks like the whiniest little taint on the planet. A bad day for refs in Turkey is they get clocked in the dome by a team president after a 1-1 draw. The team didn't even lose, and this ref still got punched. Life is all about perspective.