Faruk Koca was largely an unknown man in the soccer community until yesterday, when his name went viral for violent action. Soccer has always been a contact sport, but there are rules to protect players, managers, and everyone involved in the game from attack of any kind, whether from fans to players or from players to players.
Yesterday’s strange incident involved Faruk Koca and the match official for a game between MKE Ankaragucu and Caykur Rizespor in Turkey. In the aftermath of the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Faruk Koca, the president of MKE Ankaragucu, charged to the field to land a blow on the referee’s face, causing a fight to ensue.
Who is Faruk Koca?
Faruk Koca’s name was only limited to Turkish football and perhaps a few surrounding countries until yesterday’s event when he began trending for assaulting a referee. As the president of MKE Ankaragucu, Koca felt the need to take matters into his own hands after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish top flight.
The attack came a year after Koca was given the Turkish Super Lig’s fair play award, which is ironic, considering how violent his actions towards the match officials were. The 64-year-old remains a politician, having served as a deputy of the Turkish Grand National Assembly for nine years between 2002 and 2011.
Faruk Koca was born in Ankara and has reportedly lived there all his life. He has four children, and they all reside in the Turkish capital. Before his transition into politics, Koca was an established businessman, and his time in politics has brought about two terms of representation of the Ankara constituency in the Turkish parliament.
According to Sports Now, Faruk Koka is the founding member of the Free Trade, Justice, and Development Party in Turkey.
How is Koca responsible for the suspension of football in Turkey?
Faruk Koca’s act of violence has rocked the football world, putting unwanted limelight on Turkish football, which has led to the indefinite suspension of football in the country.
In the aftermath of the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took to Twitter to condemn the attack and vowed to end violence in the sport.
“Sports mean peace and brotherhood,” the Turkish president said on Twitter. “The sport (football) is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports,” he wrote.
“The irresponsible statements of club presidents, managers, coaches, and TV commentators targeting referees have paved the way for this vile attack today,” the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said in a statement.
“In coordination with our state, all the criminal proceedings they deserve have begun to be implemented against those responsible and instigators of this inhumane attack.”
“The responsible club, its president, its managers, and all criminals who attacked Meler (the referee) will be punished in the most severe way. By the decision of the TFF Board of Directors, matches in all leagues have been postponed indefinitely,” the statement concluded.
Despite being the culprit, Koca is currently receiving medical attention due to an existing heart condition. However, he’s set to be detained after getting proper treatment.
This ban does not affect Galatasaray’s last group-stage UCL tie against FC Copenhagen later today.
Speaking of poor disciplinary records, check out our list of the players with the most red cards in soccer history.
