MENA Sports activities Wrap: Turkey soccer in turmoil after referee punched by membership president

Turkish soccer is in turmoil after a referee was punched by the president of Tremendous Lig aspect MKE Ankaragucu with video games suspended and Faruk Koca arrested.

The FIFA Membership World Cup in the meantime kicked off in Saudi Arabia with Jeddah aspect Al-Ittihad gliding seamlessly into spherical two.

In the meantime, there was different information to have a good time after Morocco received an African continental award and Messi v Ronaldo appears set to occur in Saudi Arabia.

Turkish soccer goes out with a bang

Turkish soccer was suspended on Monday after a membership president punched a referee on the finish of a 1-1 Tremendous Lig sport between MKE Ankaragucu and Caykur Rizespor.

Faruk Koca, president of the Tremendous Lig aspect Ankaragucu, ran onto the pitch at full time and punched referee Halil Umut Meler.

Meler fell to the bottom and was kicked amid a melee whereas followers additionally invaded the pitch.

Ankaragucu followers cheered on their membership president as he attacked the Meler, Anadolu reported.

The referee was hospitalised with fracture close to his eye, showing in footage from a hospital with a brace round his neck. Meler is anticipated to be discharged on Wednesday.

Koca was additionally hospitalised in a single day as a result of a coronary heart assault danger. Koca, a former Justice and and Improvement Occasion (AKP) lawmaker, “felt faint on the sector after his violent motion”, Anadolu reported.

He was later arrested pending trial on fees of injuring a public official, and has resigned from his put up as Ankaragucu president.

Ankaragucu followers have held gatherings and erected a marquee outdoors the jail the place Koca is being held to demand his launch.

Two folks suspected of kicking Meler have been additionally arrested, whereas one other three have been launched on situation of recurrently reporting to police.

Koca denied inflicting Meler any hurt, saying he slapped the referee, based on HaberTurk. The Ankaragucu president had accused the official of constructing “wrongful choices” and provocative acts, the channel’s report added.

Even Turkish politicians have weighed in on the furor, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning the assault.

Bu akşam oynanan MKE Ankaragücü-Çaykur Rizespor müsabakası sonrasında hakem Halil Umut Meler’e yapılan saldırıyı kınıyor, kendisine geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum.

Spor, barış ve kardeşlik demektir. Spor şiddetle bağdaşmaz. Şiddetin Türk sporunun içinde barınmasına asla…

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) December 11, 2023

“Sports activities means peace and brotherhood. The game is incompatible with violence. We are going to by no means enable violence to happen in Turkish sports activities,” Erdogan wrote on X.

On Wednesday, the Turkish Soccer Federation introduced that Turkish league video games will resume on 18 December.

Membership World Cup kicks-off in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah aspect Al-Ittihad started their FIFA Membership World Cup marketing campaign, held this yr in Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday with a cushty win over Auckland Metropolis FC.

Romarinho, N’Golo Kante, and Karim Benzema bagged a purpose every within the 3-0 win over the New Zealand guests setting them up for a second-round tie in opposition to Egyptian giants Al-Ahly on Friday.

The winners of the world’s continental trophies will compete this yr in Saudi Arabia for the trophy from 12 to 22 December. The exception this yr is Al-Ittihad, who didn’t win the AFC Champions League final season however clinched the wild card host spot.

Champions League winner Manchester Metropolis and Copa Libertadores holders Fluminense acquired a bye to the semi-finals, whereas Japan’s Urawa Pink Diamonds or Mexico’s Membership Leon will compete within the different second-round conflict.

The match is just not significantly extremely regarded by soccer followers in Europe however it can give Saudi Arabia the prospect to shine after spending a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in switch charges and wages to usher in star gamers and being picked as hosts for the 2034 World Cup.

Among the many gamers to signal for Saudi groups over the previous yr are Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Fabinho, most of them going to the dominion’s high 4 golf equipment – Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli – that are owned by the Saudi Public Funding Fund.

Rivals Ronaldo and Messi to satisfy once more

Arguably the twenty first century’s nice footballing adversaries, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, will meet once more on Saudi soil subsequent month in an upcoming fixture between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami.

The US membership – which signed Messi this summer season – will play in opposition to the Saudi aspect within the Riyadh Season Cup on 1 February.

The match is very anticipated as a result of Messi and Ronaldo’s rivalry within the sport, with related achievements, standing and successes in soccer.

The Argentine and Portuguese superstars have met on quite a few events throughout their respective spells at Barcelona and Actual Madrid, having confronted one another throughout La Liga’s much-awaited El Clasico video games between 2009 and 2018.

In the course of the 36 matches, Messi’s groups have received 16 video games, whereas the Portuguese ahead’s groups have received 11 – with 9 attracts. Messi has 22 objectives and 11 assists in these matches; Ronaldo has 21 objectives and one help.

February’s match will mark the second assembly this yr after the 2 confronted off in a pleasant match when Messi was nonetheless at French membership Paris St Germain.

Ronaldo performed underneath a workforce made up of gamers from Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.

Messi, who received the World Cup with Argentina nearly a yr in the past, was rumoured to be becoming a member of a Saudi Professional League membership over the summer season amid a signing spree of high-profile gamers within the nation.

The Argentinian captain, nonetheless with Paris St Germain, had made an unapproved journey to the Gulf nation earlier to advertise tourism, which fueled the speculations tenfold.

Messi then made a shock multimillion-dollar transfer to Miami, whereas it was revealed that his spouse Antonella was lower than enthusiastic a few potential keep in Saudi Arabia.

Messi may also be seen enjoying in opposition to Al-Hilal on 29 January.

Africa’s greatest

Morocco’s Atlas Lions have been topped ‘Nationwide Group of the Yr’ on the African soccer awards this week, following their stellar efficiency within the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and stand-out performances since.

The nationwide workforce was up in opposition to 9 different nominees together with Senegal and Tanzania, earlier than being awarded the coveted title.

Morocco’s win comes as they completed fourth within the FIFA World Cup final yr, the highest-ever outcome for an Arab or African workforce on the world competitors.

The Atlas Lions performed nail-biting matches in opposition to European favourites Portugal and Spain, earlier than bowing out in opposition to France within the semi-finals after a 2-0 defeat.

The workforce, now ranked thirteenth on the planet, got a hero’s welcome of their dwelling nation when the competitors’s ended.

The Nationwide Group of the Yr prize wasn’t Morocco’s solely award on the ceremony in Marrakech. Coach Walid Regragui, who guided the Atlas Lions to the semi-finals, was topped Coach of the Yr.

Regragui garnered reward for his teaching model in Qatar, and was known as the match’s greatest supervisor by a number of soccer pundits.

To high off the night, Yassine Bounou – now signed with Saudi aspect Al-Hilal and a stand-out participant in Qatar –  received ‘Goalkeeper of the Yr’.

Paris St Germain proper=again Achraf Hakimi –  alongside Liverpool ahead Mo Salah – additionally scored a nomination for African Footballer of the Yr, however the grand prize was given to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who grew to become the primary winner from his nation since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.