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ANKARA: A former football chief in Turkiye’s Super Lig was sentenced to more than three years in prison Monday over an on-pitch attack on a referee, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The incident occurred in December 2023 following a 1-1 draw between Ankara’s MKA Ankaragucu and visiting Caykur Rizespor in Turkiye’s top flight.
Footage from the scene showed Ankaragucu’s then president Faruk Koca rushing onto the pitch and punching referee Halil Umut Meler after he blew the final whistle, shouting: “I’m going to kill you!“
He appeared to be incensed over the ref’s decision to send off one of his players, and disallowing an earlier goal by Ankaragucu. Caykur had scored an equalizer in injury time.
Denouncing the attack as “despicable,” the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended Super Lig matches for eight days and initiated criminal proceedings against Koca and several others.
Several days later, Koca apologized and resigned as club president but insisted his team had been cheated by the referee.
The court on Monday handed him three years and seven months for “intentional injury to a public sports official” as well as six months and 20 days for “making threats.”
It also handed him a five-month suspended sentence for “violating the law on violence prevention in sports.”
During the incident, the referee — who fell to the ground after being punched — was also kicked several times by other club officials, leaving him with a head trauma.
The court also handed prison sentences to three other officials for causing, or trying to cause, “intentional injury” to a public sports official, with sentences ranging from one to five years behind bars.
The incident provoked uproar in Turkiye and a flurry of condemnation, including from FIFA, football’s world governing body.

DUBAI: The men’s and women’s champions of the inaugural Dubai Premier Padel P1 were crowned on Sunday night at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, presented the trophies to Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, and Bea Gonzalez and Delfina Brea Senesi, as the men’s and women’s champions, respectively.

The awards ceremony took place on the center court of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, ending a week of action for a prize pool of over $510,000.

The emirate’s first Premier Padel P1 tournament, organized by Dubai-based Gallop Global, was a collaborative effort supported by the UAE Padel Association, the International Padel Federation, the Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Sports Council, and Premier Padel.

Coello and Tapia clinched the men’s trophy with a 6-4, 6-3 score over Federico Chingotto and Alejandro Galan in front of a passionate crowd of more than 5,000 spectators.

Having racked up 30 consecutive wins before the Dubai victory, world No. 1 Coello said: “We keep focusing on every challenge one by one and the wins keep tallying up.

“We are aware that every match is difficult, so we just try to keep focus on every match. It feels fantastic to win in Dubai, a special city and special tournament.”

Meanwhile, Gonzalez and Brea Senesi reigned supreme in the women’s draw with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Brea Senesi was unable to attend the post-match press conference owing to sickness, and partner Gonzalez said she was surprised with her own performance.

“It was unexpected to play at this level, especially so soon after returning from injury,” said Gonzalez. “It has been a long period of recovery which has meant a lack of competition, so I’m very happy for Delfina and myself to win this tournament.”

“We thank His Highness Sheikh Mansoor for both his patronage and for his unwavering support of padel in Dubai,” said Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al-Maktoum, the UAE padel body’s president, in a press statement.

“In addition to congratulating our champions, Arturo, Agustin, Bea and Delfina, for their historic and dramatic success at the debut of Premier Padel in Dubai, we hope this milestone event will serve as another springboard to encourage the next generation of homegrown champions to pick up the sport.”

Saeed Mohammed Hareb, secretary-general of the Dubai Sports Council, added: “In a city renowned for hosting major international sporting events, the Dubai Premier Padel P1 has established instant credentials as a truly world-class event in every metric.

“Bringing the world and region’s best male and female players to Dubai only serves as a catalyst for the prosperity of our society and the growth of the sport in the emirate. Congratulations again to Premier Padel, our champions, the organizers, and to Dubai.”