Turkish football plunges into crisis after referee attack

The top-flight SuperLig indefinitely suspended matches and a court placed Ankaragucu club president Faruk Koca and two others in pre-trial detention for "injuring and threatening a public official".

Images of Monday night's incident showed Koca rushing onto the pitch with a group of men and throwing a punch at referee Halil Umut Meler after he had blown the final whistle.

Koca appeared to be incensed at Meler for awarding a stoppage-time penalty kick that allowed visiting Caykur Rizespor to leave the capital with a 1-1 draw. Meler fell to the ground and was kicked several times in the ensuing melee.

The 37-year-old match official was shown standing minutes later with a black eye that had swelled up the left part of his face. He released a statement after being rushed to hospital saying Koca had threatened his life.

"Faruk Koca punched me under my left eye and I fell to the ground. While I was on the ground, they kicked my face and other parts of my body many times. Faruk Koca told me and my fellow referees: 'I will finish you'. Addressing me in particular, he said: 'I will kill you'," Meler said in a statement.

Koca admitted to 'Beyaz TV' immediately after the match that he had momentarily lost control. "My brain went crazy. My eyesight blacked out! I don't remember what I did," Koca said.

The incident pushed all other events off the front pages of the main newspapers in a nation where football passions run deep - and are often politically linked. The Turkish Football Federation condemned "this vile attack" and suspended all matches until further notice.

It also prompted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - a one-time football player whose love for the game has helped improve the fortunes of top Turkish clubs - to issue a