The Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler has left the hospital and is returning home. Meler was beaten and kicked on Monday after the Süper Lig match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor.
According to the Reuters news agency, Meler was allowed to leave the hospital in Ankara on Wednesday.
The referee had been under examination for the past 36 hours due to bleeding near his left eye and neck pain. A doctor from the hospital stated that the bleeding had almost stopped. Meler still has a swollen, bruised eye.
Ankaragücü's president, Faruk Koca, who delivered a punch to Meler, was arrested on Tuesday. The referee has reported that Koca also threatened him with death. Due to the attack on Meler, for which Koca and other suspects have been detained, the Süper Lig has been temporarily suspended.
The arrested Koca has since resigned from his position as the president of Ankaragücü. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) earlier described the attack on referee Meler as "an inhumane and despicable assault by self-aware criminals."
Pierluigi Collina, a former top referee and now the head of the FIFA Referees Committee, expressed his horror over the attack on Meler on Wednesday through the official channels of the world football body. "The images of Halil lying on the ground being beaten and kicked were terrible to see," said Collina.
"Thousands of referees worldwide are physically and verbally attacked, often early in their careers. It is up to everyone in the football world to fight this form of cancer in our sport to prevent the beautiful game from being lost," stated the Italian.
