Trial for the physical assault on Halil Umut Meler adjourned: Faruk Koca's defense in court revealed!

The first hearing of the trial involving 4 defendants, including former Ankaragücü Club President Faruk Koca, who attacked referee Halil Umut Meler at the end of the MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match, has been completed.

MELER AND KOCA IN COURT

The hearing at the Ankara West 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance was attended by the complainant Halil Umut Meler, as well as the non-detained defendants Faruk Koca, Kenan Çelikkaya, Osman Erkam Can, and Şahin Yunus Şahin, along with their lawyers.

Following the identification process and the reading of the indictment summary, Koca presented his defense, expressing his regret over the incident and stating that he had previously provided a detailed defense and was reiterating his earlier statements.

Claiming that the allegation that he threatened referee Meler does not reflect the truth, Koca said, "The threat part is not true. For the first time in my life, I physically intervened with someone. I am sorry. I have expressed my regrets to the public. I convey my regrets once again in the presence of the court."

When asked by the complainant's lawyer, "Was there any provocative statement regarding the development of the incident before it occurred?" Koca replied, "No."

Defendant Kenan Çelikkaya also stated that his previous testimonies remain valid.

Upon the question from defendant Koca's lawyer, "Did you hear any threatening words from Koca directed at Meler?" Çelikkaya said he did not hear any such words.

Defendant Şahin Yunus Şahin also presented his defense, stating, "My previous defenses are valid. I apologize to Meler."

Osman Erkam Can, stating that he has been serving as a professional team manager for 4 years, said the following:

"On the day of the incident, I watched the match in the delegation area behind the substitute bench. At the end of the match, I saw the president and some people running. A crowd had formed where the referee was, and there was a scuffle. I wanted to prevent harm to the referee by opening my arms. During this time, I saw the referee getting up, but the scuffle continued. Someone in front of me hit my throat. I kicked out there, but I definitely did not have any action directed at the referee. He was standing 2 meters in front of me. If I had wanted to, I could have harmed him. I had no such intention."

- "I heard the threat"

Taking the floor after the defendants, Halil Umut Meler stated that the incident occurred as described in the indictment, that he heard the threat, that he is a complainant, and that he wishes to participate in the trial.

Referee Kerem Ersoy, who was heard as a witness at the hearing, stated, "I was serving as a referee in the same match. While I was standing next to the complainant at the end of the match, Faruk Koca punched the complainant. He said to us 'I will finish you' and to Meler 'I will kill you'."

Ersoy also said that the other two defendants kicked Meler after he fell to the ground.

Mustafa Emre Eyisoy, who was heard as a witness, stated that he served as the 1st assistant referee during the incident. Eyisoy said, "After the match ended, I had gone to the corridor to observe the events in the corridors. I was not next to the complainant referee during the incident. I did not see the events directly; my other referee colleagues told me about them."

Witness Ömer Tolga Güldibi, stating that he served as a referee in the match, said, "I saw them coming from behind and hitting the complainant. While Koca was punching, he said 'I will finish you'. He also said to Meler 'I will kill you'."

WHAT DID KOCA'S LAWYER SAY?

Later, Koca's lawyer took the floor and stated that they would submit a written statement against the witness testimonies. The lawyer mentioned that there is a separate file in which the witnesses have filed complaints against his client, and said that they have identified other people who were in the same place during the incident and that they would report these people to the file and request them to be heard as witnesses.

Halil Umut Meler's lawyer, stating that it is clear who can enter the pitch according to the Football Federation's instructions, said, "Defendant Osman Erkam Can is among those who can enter the pitch with a referee's invitation. There was no referee invitation during the incident. When looking at the camera recordings, it is seen that he kicked for 20 seconds and made contact. We request that these issues be taken into consideration."

After the lawyers, the public prosecutor, who announced his opinion, requested that Meler be referred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for the preparation of a final report and that the request of Osman Erkam Can's lawyer to withdraw from the case be rejected.

The court, which then announced its interim decision, gave time to those who wanted to submit their written statements and adjourned the trial to February 28.

The judge, who referred Meler to the Forensic Medicine Institute for the preparation of a final report, accepted the defendants' request to be exempted from the hearing.

News Source: 12punto