Ankaragücü appeals Faruk Koca's ban!
MKE Ankaragücü Club has cited the reduction of a sentence given to an Amed Sportif Faaliyetler player as a precedent in its appeal to the TFF Arbitration Board regarding the permanent ban imposed on its former president, Faruk Koca, by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Professional Football Discipline Committee (PFDK).
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Details have emerged regarding the appeal filed by MKE Ankaragücü Club to the Arbitration Board for Faruk Koca, who received a 5-year ban from football-related activities—and a permanent ban due to the sentence exceeding three years—following the incidents that occurred after the MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match in the 15th week of the Süper Lig.
The yellow-navy club has appealed not only the sentence given to Faruk Koca but also the 5-match stadium ban and various penalties imposed on club officials.
MKE Ankaragücü Board Member and Press Spokesperson Hüseyin Aytekin stated in an interview with AA that the penalty given to Faruk Koca was severe and that they had applied to the Arbitration Board citing previous precedents.
Hüseyin Aytekin noted that one of these precedents was the TFF 2nd League match between Amed Sportif Faaliyetler and Sakaryaspor on March 2, 2019, where an Amed Sportif Faaliyetler player entered the pitch with a razor blade and attacked opposing players. Aytekin recalled that the player was given a 4-year ban by the PFDK following this incident, and because the sentence exceeded 3 years, the player was subjected to a permanent ban.
Reminding that the Amed Sportif Faaliyetler player's sentence was reduced to a 20-match ban by the Arbitration Board following the appeals, Aytekin stated the following:
"We submitted our appeals regarding the PFDK's decision to the Arbitration Board yesterday. As a club, we believe the penalties are very severe. Our club lawyers have submitted our appeal petition to the board regarding this. A permanent ban is not a penalty with a recent precedent. Only in the TFF 2nd League White Group match played between Amed Sportif Faaliyetler and Sakaryaspor on March 2, 2019, was a permanent ban decided by the PFDK because an Amed Sportif Faaliyetler Club athlete injured 4 opposing team players with a razor blade. As a result of the appeal made by the footballer to the Arbitration Board, the permanent ban imposed by the PFDK was corrected by the Arbitration Board to a 20-official-match ban and a 25 thousand lira fine."
Emphasizing that they have cited the Arbitration Board's past rulings as examples, Aytekin said, "Considering that the TFF has in the past issued a 20-match ban even in a situation much more severe than our President Faruk Koca's action, we believe that the Arbitration Board should reduce the penalty given to our President Faruk Koca and impose a lighter sentence."