Referee legend Urs Meier about the Turkish scandal: “Then basic trust is gone in one fell swoop”

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A punch in the face, a kick to the ground: Turkish football has been at a standstill since Ankaragücü president Faruk Koca (59) attacked top referee Halil Umut Meler (37) after a match in the Süper Lig.

Someone who knows what consequences such scandalous scenes can have is the Swiss referee legend Urs Meier (64). He himself was the victim of death threats at the 2004 European Championships in Portugal, was under police protection and had to go into hiding. “Football is not a legal vacuum. “I hope that the referee in question will file a civil lawsuit,” he told Blick.

The deep wounds that give rise to a threat or even an attack on a referee go far beyond the broken cheekbone and bruised eye that referee Halil Meler was diagnosed with in hospital on Monday evening. Urs Meier can put himself in the shoes of his Turkish colleague: “During such an incident you have the feeling that your house is being broken into. You lose confidence in the safety of your own home. Basic trust is then gone in one fell swoop.”

It felt like Meier was being chased by half of England

As a referee, he knows all too well what threats feel like. On 24 June 2004, during the European Championship quarter-finals between hosts Portugal and England, he made the most important but correct decision not to concede England’s supposed winning goal in the 89th minute. The “Three Lions” then failed in the penalty shootout and Meier became the enemy of an entire country overnight.

He received 16,000 hate messages, including many death threats, and was heavily vilified by the English press. He lacked support from UEFA and nothing happened for three days. This is different in the present case.

The referee attack in Turkey became a state affair hours after the incident. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally visited referee Halil Meler in the hospital. And the Turkish Football Association took action: no football matches in the country until further notice. The main perpetrator, Ankaragücü’s defeated president Faruk Koca, has since shown remorse, publicly apologized the next day and resigned as club boss.

The Turkish scandal is just the tip of the iceberg

But the vicious attack on Meler is not an isolated incident. It’s like the tip of an iceberg rising from the sea of ​​threats and attacks against referees around the world. The 37-year-old Turk is a top referee. Urs Meier said: “The fact that Turkey’s number one referee is now affected simply highlights worldwide what has been a problem in the lower leagues for a long time.”

Something is particularly important for the Swiss referee legend: it is not only the Turkish associations that can now react and do something. But anyone who plays football. “For example, there are junior matches where no one shakes hands with the referees after the final whistle. It would just be important to thank them for the service they do for football.” Perhaps that would be a step towards ensuring that respect chases horror scenarios like those in Turkey from the lawn.

Source : Blick