Joint statement from Süper Lig referees after meeting with TFF!

A joint statement has been issued by the referees who had decided not to officiate matches following the physical assault on referee Halil Umut Meler by the former president of MKE Ankaragücü, Faruk Koca.

The written statement included the following remarks:

"As you know, following the heinous incident our colleague Halil Umut Meler was subjected to after the final whistle of the MKE Ankaragücü - Çaykur Rizespor match played in Ankara on December 11, 2023, we had made a joint decision and declared to the esteemed public that we would not officiate matches until our next statement.
Following this unfortunate incident, all state bodies, primarily our President, as well as the President of the Turkish Football Federation, members of the Board of Directors, and the President and members of the Central Referee Committee took radical measures extremely quickly, and the grave incident and its perpetrators were addressed with great speed and determination.
In addition to all these authorized bodies, messages of sadness and support were published from every corner of the world, and the issue created a massive agenda in the eyes of the entire global public.
In the days that have passed, the health condition of our colleague Halil Umut Meler has also improved. Following all these developments, we wanted to meet with our Turkish Football Federation President Mehmet Büyükekşi to express our concerns and demands regarding the process that resulted in this attack. Our President prepared the environment for a highly transparent meeting with the participation of all Süper Lig Referees, VAR Referees, Assistant Referee Representatives, and A-Class Referee Representatives.

In this meeting, as referees, we expressed our concerns and demands to Mr. Mehmet Büyükekşi on the following topics:

• On-field and travel security
• The assumption of legal and health needs by the TFF for our referee colleagues who are victims of potential violence and assault, especially at the lowest levels
• The implementation of more deterrent regulations in Disciplinary Instructions

Regarding these and similar issues, our Turkish Football Federation President expressed his opinion that the necessary work will certainly be carried out immediately.

Afterwards, as we stated in our first announcement, we also held our meetings with our colleague Halil Umut Meler, who is our priority. Within the framework of this entire schedule, at the point we have reached, following the steps taken by state levels, the Turkish Football Federation, and judicial authorities, who have shown an extremely rapid reaction, we, as referees, have decided to return to the public duty we perform so that football life can return to its normal flow."

News Source: İHA