Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca punched referee Halil Umut Meler after the Super Lig match against Caykur Rizespor on Monday night.
Koca charged onto the pitch after Rizespor scores a last minute equaliser and punched the referee who dropped to the ground before being assaulted by unknown assailants who kicked Meler.
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Meler left the field with a swollen black eye and was taken to hospital with a slight fracture but fortunately he did not suffer any long term injuries.
The incident led to Koca resigning as president of Ankaragucu and matches in all Turkish football leagues being suspended indefinitely.
Koca has been arrested and charged with “injuring a public official”. Meler was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday morning and is in good spirits.
Turkish football has developed a toxic attitude towards refereeing over the past few years with major clubs openly claiming match officials are conspiring against them.
Referees have been vilified by football clubs and the sports media. In my piece for The Guardian today I covered the refereeing situation in the country.
In a letter confirming his resignation, Koca wrote: “After the match we played against Çaykur Rizespor last night, due to my attitude towards the referee Halil Umut Meler, who managed the match, Mr. Meler and his family, in particular; I apologise to the Turkish referee community, sports public and our nation.
“How and why the subject came to this point is independent of the event. No matter how great injustice or wrong it is, nothing can legitimise or explain the violence that I committed, which I definitely did not desire.
“Sports fields should be the venue for gentlemanly competition. Any attitude that casts a shadow on fairplay, including my own, should not be present in stadiums or halls.
“As someone who has always taken constructive initiatives in this direction since the day I became the MKE Ankaragücü Presidency, I feel great embarrassment for having caused the creation of an exactly opposite environment.
“I would like to announce to the public that I have resigned from the MKE Ankaragücü Presidency in order to prevent any further harm to the Ankaragücü club, Ankaragücü fans, the community I am in and my family.
“I hope that this incident, which I, more than anyone else, cannot accept, will be a reason for our sports life, especially our football community, to be purified from mistakes, shortcomings and the culture of violence.
“At the same time, I hope that the structural problems of Turkish football will be discussed more realistically due to this grave incident that I caused.
“I would like to take this opportunity to apologise again to everyone I have upset, especially Ankaragücü fans.
“I would like it to be known that I am deeply saddened that both the club I manage, the football community, and our country are remembered with such an event and image.”