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Simon Jordan calls for 'disgraceful' Turkish club president to be banned

talksport.com, 12 December 2023, 13:02
Simon Jordan believes Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca should be banned from football for his attack on a referee.

Koca ran on the pitch and punched referee Halil Umut Meler after a 1-1 draw against Rizespor in the top flight Turkish Super Lig.

The incident has seen the president arrested, while all Turkish league games have been suspended indefinitely.

Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT host Jordan responded to the scenes, saying: "This is disgraceful and beyond consideration and contemplation of how anyone should behave, let alone anyone who's chairman or president of a football club.

"First of all he should be charged with assault because he's punched somebody. He shouldn't be anywhere near a football pitch.

"We all have exasperations and frustrations, we all want to scream and shout at decisions that are made for and against us.

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"I've been disappointed with referees, I've been disappointed with fellow owners and had altercations and rows, but you can't run onto a football pitch as a player or owner and punch an official in the face and see that as something that has any form, irrespective of the decisions that people make."

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has since condemned the incident, saying 'We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports'.

And Jordan can understand why, as such scenes will damage the country's reputation.

He explained: "It's a football match, I know it's part of the world where we can remember Graeme Souness running on and sticking a flag in the middle of the pitch because he was told he was a cripple by the opposing team because of his heart problems.

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"We know it's a hotbed of football passions, but come on you can't attack a referee, he has a great big black eye and then gets kicked on the floor."

Responding to Koca directly, Jordan continued: "Who does he think he is? He should get the full weight of the law in terms of assault in that country and surely to god he's got to be banned from football.

Shocking scenes as all Turkish league matches suspended indefinitely after referee is punched by club president and kicked in head after

"How that sets the club up, whether he's an economic benefactor and that puts it in a difficult position, he can't be near football, he's done himself and brought his club into shame and Turkish football into shame, it will be used now as an example of how people behave in certain parts of the world.

"This is appalling, this is an elite league, it's a league that's spawned a team that beat Manchester United in the Champions League."

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