Collina asked to “act before the cancer of violence kills football”

The president of FIFA Referees Commission, Pierluigi Collinasure”Violence against referees is a life-threatening cancer in football“and asked to act before it”before it’s too late“.

“Verbal and physical violence against referees is a life-threatening cancer in football. It is the responsibility of all lovers of this important game to act and do something, before it is too late and this cancer kills football,” said Collina after the attack suffered by a referee in Turkey, which led to in suspending all matches professional competitions without a date of resumption.

In a letter published by FIFA, Collina referred to the victim, Halil Umut Meles, as “very good referee and very good person“, who was with him at the Under 20 World Cup in Argentina earlier this year and defended that “No referee, or any other person, deserves to live through the experience he lived in Ankara“when”“He was doing his job and was attacked on the field at the end of the game.”.

“The image of him collapsing on the grass, protecting his head with his hands as he was beaten and the bruises under his eyes were horrific. But it is even more frightening to know that there are thousands of referees around the world who are verbally and physically assaulted at the lower levels of the game around the world without it being reported to the media. “They are unknown and most are young referees who are at the beginning of their career,” he added.

Collina insisted that “a referee cannot be attacked for making a decision even if it is wrong“, and he also cannot suffer violent actions such as burning or bombing his car, “something that is not an exaggeration and happens in some countries that is not rare.”

“After the IFAB annual meeting in London on November 28, I already said that verbal and physical violence against referees is a cancer that can take the life of football. As an ‘old’ referee that I am, I am particularly thanking the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, for his words and the solidarity he personally expressed to Halil Umut Meller,” he stressed.

Collina expressed himself in this way two days after the attack in which the aforementioned referee was subjected at the end of the Turkish Super League match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor, where the local team played with 10 from the 50 minutes due to double yellow card. one of their players and the visitors equalized at 1 in the 97th minute.

At the end, the president of Ankaragücü, Faruk Koca, jumped on the grass and punched the referee, an attack that was joined by other fans of the team.

Koca, who was arrested for these events and sent to preventive detention, submitted his resignation.