MADRID (AP) — The Turkish Football Federation suspended all league matches on Tuesday after the president of the top-tier soccer club punched a referee in the face.
Faruk Koca, president of MKE Ankaragucu, was arrested after attacking referee Halil Umut Miller following a 1-1 draw in a Super League match against Kaykur Rezipspor. Miller fell to the ground and was also kicked in an altercation that occurred after fans invaded the pitch when Rizespor scored a last-minute equaliser.
Here’s a look at other incidents of violence against referees in football and other sports around the world:
The Brazilian Sports Court suspended the president of the Sergipe club, which plays in the fourth division, for 30 days after he took to the field and punched a referee during a match in the Brazilian Cup against the Botafogo team, which belongs to the first division, last March.
Political cartoon
In a derby match in the Colombian League between first division teams Deportivo Cali and Atletico Nacional last August, doctors were forced to treat the assistant referee after he was hit in the head by an object thrown from the stands.
Last month, an official at the Brazilian club Corinthians attempted to break into the VAR room during his team’s 1-0 win over Gremio in a Brazilian league match after a Corinthians player was sent off.
English rule is threatened
English referee Anthony Taylor and his family were forced to be escorted away by security forces at an airport in Hungary after angry Roma fans insulted him and threw a chair in his direction after this year’s Europa League final.
Roma largely blamed Taylor for their penalty shootout loss to Sevilla, and coach Jose Mourinho criticized him in the post-match press conference. Mourinho was also seen insulting Taylor with a series of expletives in the garage of Budapest’s Puskas Stadium as his team prepared to leave the field.
Refereeing women’s team attacks
Several players on the Congolese women’s soccer team were reportedly suspended after they attacked a referee who did not award a penalty kick to them in a match in February.
Video footage online showed the referee trying to run for cover as players and other team members chased him.
Last month, two teenagers were arrested in England over alleged misogynistic chants against a female referee in a League Two match between Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday.
Police officers reportedly took action during the match after they heard the 17-year-olds insulting the referee.
Spanish rulers complain
In May, Spanish referees issued a statement calling for an end to violence against them after incidents that occurred in matches in the lower division.
A fan tried to break into the referee’s locker room at one match, while a group of people wearing hoodies and covering their faces made death threats and punched a car used by the refereeing staff at another match.
These incidents came after a referee in one of the youth matches was assaulted by a group of players who waited after he left the field to return to their homes.
The referees said there were more than 100 cases of assault of some kind against them in Spain.
Official steps for Robji are far away
England official Tom Foley made a series of big statements in October’s title match between New Zealand and South Africa in Paris.
The match referee – Englishman Wayne Barnes – had announced his expected retirement while expressing his concerns about the abuse he and his family had received on social media for years.
In another rugby incident in 2002, a fan ran onto the field and attempted to attack the referee of a major Test match between South Africa and New Zealand.
Gun owner in Greece
Ivan Savvidis entered the stadium twice accompanied by bodyguards and appeared to be carrying a gun in a holster around his waist.
PAOK thought he had scored in the 90th minute against AEK Athens, but the referee canceled the goal due to offside after initially confirming this. The match has been cancelled.
Swedish referee Anders Frisk retired after receiving death threats following a Champions League match between Chelsea and Barcelona in 2005, when Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho accused him of benefiting Barcelona.
A year earlier in Rome, Frisk was bloodied by an object thrown from the stands in another Champions League match that had to be abandoned.
Another referee from Sweden said he received death threats after awarding a disputed penalty kick for Liverpool against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in 2008. Martin Hansson said he had to call his mobile phone provider and ask for a PIN.
In a 2008 European Championship qualifying match between Denmark and Sweden, a drunken Danish fan attempted to punch the referee in the final minutes and the result was a 3-3 draw. Sweden got the 3-0 win because of the attack.
A weekend footballer was sentenced to at least eight years in prison in 2015 in the United States for a punch that killed a referee. Basil Saad pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and admitted that he punched John Pianevich as he prepared to call for a penalty kick that would have sent Saad away. Bieniewicz died two days later.
In 2012, a Dutch man who was working as an assistant referee during a youth football match his son was playing died after being beaten and kicked by several football players after the match.
In a non-league competition held in France this year, referee Jeremy Cristea was headbutted during a match.
In Argentina, Alexander Williams Tabon was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head, days after photos spread of him assaulting a referee in an amateur match. Police believe he committed suicide. The unconscious referee was taken to hospital after Tabone punched and kicked his head.
Associated Press writers Steve Douglas, Mauricio Savarese, Gerald Emray, Samuel Petrekin, Jerome Pugmire, Graham Dunbar, Karl Ritter and Andrew Dumpf contributed to this report.
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Throughout history, rulers and leaders from various countries and regions have faced numerous incidents of violence targeted at them. From assassination attempts to coups and rebellions, the list of violent acts against rulers is extensive and spans across different time periods and political contexts. These incidents not only highlight the vulnerability of those in positions of power, but also underscore the complex dynamics of power and authority in different societies. In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the notable incidents of violence against rulers around the world, examining the motivations behind such acts and the larger implications for the political landscape.