Scandal at a football match in Kocaeli: Young player who received a red card stabs the referee!

An incident that no one wants to see on sports fields occurred in Kocaeli. A young football player, angered by the referee sending him off, attacked the referee with a knife after the match. In the match played at the Şehit Nihat Karadaş Stadium between Çerkesli Spor and Çayırova Gümüşspor, which are tied on points after winning one game each in the first 3 weeks of the K group in the Kocaeli U-17 League, referee Ersin Demiröz officiated, with assistant referees Hakan Baş and Muhammet Emin Açıkel. During the match, a Çayırova Gümüşspor player was sent off with a red card. The match ended with a 5-1 victory for the home team.

SENT OFF, FOLLOWED THE MATCH FROM BEHIND THE FENCE

After the match, the athletes, managers, and referees headed to the locker rooms. At this moment, the reactive player, identified as Ç., who had been sent off but was watching the match from behind the fence, headed toward the area where the locker rooms were located and suddenly jumped on the referee. The angry player, who swung the knife in his hand several times and wounded the referee in the back, was stopped by the parents of the opposing team's athletes. Other players and managers who noticed the situation due to the noise during the incident also intervened. Referee Ersin Demiröz, who is also known to work as a security guard, was taken to the hospital after it was learned that the knife wound did not pose a life-threatening risk and that he escaped the attack with scratches. The referee was discharged after his treatment. The angry athlete was taken into custody by the police and taken to the police station. The athlete's coach and managers also expressed their sadness, stating that they did not understand what happened and were in shock.

REFEREES ASSOCIATION ISSUED A STATEMENT

Following the stabbing incident, a statement was issued by the Kocaeli Branch of the Turkish Active Football Referees and Observers Association (TFFHGD). The statement read: "We have learned with deep sadness about the knife attack on our referees by the expelled player of Çayırova Gümüş Spor with a savage intent at the end of the Çerkesli Spor-Çayırova Gümüş Spor match played in Kocaeli on Sunday, 09.02.2025. Our injured referee is in good health and his treatment continues in the hospital. We want the public to know that we stand by our referees throughout the entire legal process to ensure that these situations, which we never want to see in football matches, come to an end. We also condemn the athletes who engage in such behavior and all actions that encourage these athletes."

A COMPLAINT WAS FILED, THEY WILL FOLLOW THE PROCESS

Provincial Referee Board President Özhan Kurt stated that they are following the matter, that their injured referee has begun the treatment process in the hospital after the incident and is resting at home, and that what is important for them right now is the health of their referee. Adding that the athlete had been waiting with a knife—the source of which they do not know—after being sent off, and that he swung the knife several times when he approached the referee, with one strike hitting their referee, Kurt emphasized that they have filed a complaint against the angry athlete and that they will follow the process both judicially and administratively.

News Source: İHA