The Turkish championship will be resumed after the scandalous beating of the referee

The President of the Turkish Football Federation, Mehmet Büyükekşi, announced that the Turkish league matches will resume next Tuesday, on December 19.

Previously, the Federation suspended matches in all leagues of the country following the brutal assault on referee Halil Umut Meler by the president of the football club Ankaragücü, Faruk Kocai.

"We will show zero tolerance for any such incident on or off the field, and we will not tolerate any such actions against our referees and officiating in general. Referees are an integral part of the football game. I hope neither Halil Umut Meler nor our other referees will ever experience this pain again," stated the President of the Federation during a press conference.

After the final whistle of the Ankaragücü - Rizespor match, the home team's president rushed onto the field, assaulting the chief referee by striking him multiple times. Two others also joined in the assault by kicking the referee.

Following the incident, Meler even mentioned that he might consider ending his refereeing career after what had happened. Currently, there are no life-threatening injuries, and the referee has already been discharged from the hospital.

Even Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, took notice of the scandalous assault and personally supported the referee.

Following the incident, the president of Ankaragücü and three others involved in the attack were arrested by the police.