MKE Ankaragücü

Violence broke out between supporters of Trabzonspor and players from Fenerbahçe after a Turkish top-flight league match on Sunday.

A crowd of home supporters invaded the pitch at Trabzonspor's stadium after the final whistle of an encounter that Fenerbahçe won 3-2.

The former president of a top-division soccer team in Turkey told a court on Tuesday that he regretted attacking a referee at the end of a league game but denied threatening to kill him.

Former Ankaragücü Club President Faruk Koca, who attacked and punched referee Halil Umut Meler at the end of an MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match, has appeared before the judge at a court in the capital Ankara.

Former Ankaragücü president Faruk Koca, who was imprisoned on Dec. 12 due to his attack on referee Halil Umut Meler during the MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor match, was released 15 days later to stand trial without arrest after his lawyer's objection was accepted.

The recent shocking assault on referee Halil Umut Meler on the pitch by a former club president and the subsequent series of violent incidents have prompted sports writer Uğur Meleke to advocate for a radical package of measures to address the pervasive chaos and violence in Turkish football.

All Turkish football leagues have been suspended indefinitely following an attack by a club president on a referee, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced in the early hours of Dec. 12.

"We have postponed games in all leagues indefinitely," TFF President Mehmet Büyükekşi told reporters following an emergency meeting of his board.

Love of football has brought together many a family, but a football game in Turkey's capital has taken that shared love of sports to a new level.

In the Sept. 12 match, for the first time in history, a married couple officiated at a Turkish football match.

The Turkish Super League will resume on Aug. 10 when defending champion Galatasaray visits Ankaragücü, a returnee to the top tier.

Ankaragücü and Rizespor both secured promotion to Turkey's Super League on April 28 after beating their opponents in the second-tier 1st League.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has ordered Ankaragücü to play five games without spectators following an attack by the club's managers and VIP guests on Amedspor officials last week as a legal investigation into the violence continues.

Third-tier Ankaragücü was fined 25,000 Turkish Liras, while the attackers were also barred from entering the stadium for 90 days.