England vs Slovakia referee was punched in the face and hospitalized by club president

England's clash against Slovakia on Sunday will be refereed by Turkish official Halil Umit Meler, just over six months after he was punched in the face by a club president.

The Three Lions travel to Gelsenkirchen on Sunday for their Euro 2024 last-16 clash. So far, Gareth Southgate 's men have drawn two and won one of their games, though did finish top of Group C.

They have one of the best disciplinary records in the tournament, having picked up just four yellow cards so far. It is a record they will be hoping to keep on Sunday, with Meler officiating. It is a remarkable comeback for the Turkish referee, who was hospitalised in December. Meler had been taking charge of the Turkish Super Lig clash between Ankaragucu and Rizespor in Ankara.

Ankaragucu's president Faruk Koca was left furious by a number of decisions and stormed onto the pitch before punching referee Meler to the floor. Meler was then kicked in the head by other people involved as a mass brawl broke out.

The referee was eventually able to his way to the dressing room with the help of the police, while Koca and another individual were detained by police in Ankara. Meler was taken to hospital under police guard. Meler was filmed looking bewildered after the horrific attack, with significant swelling around one of his eyes. The 37-year-old suffered injuries including a minor fracture and was released from hospital a few days later.

Koca was handed a permanent ban for punching Meler, while Ankaragucu were also fined two million lira (£54,000) and ordered to play five home games without any fans. All Turkish league football was suspended after the incident before resuming a week later.

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Koca later resigned from his role at Ankaragucu. He said in a statement: "No matter how great an injustice or how wrong [the officiating] was, nothing can legitimise or explain the violence that I perpetrated. I apologise to the Turkish refereeing community, the sports public and our nation."

Meler returned to his duties and impressed UEFA officials enough to be called up for this summer's Euros. He took charge of two games in the group stages before his appointment to England's clash with Slovakia.

The first actually involved the Eastern European side. That was their opening round win over Belgium, with Meler handing out four yellow cards as Ivan Schranz proved enough to hand Slovakia a famous victory.

Meler's second game was more fiesty, as he handed out six yellow cards and awarded one penalty in Austria's win over Poland in the final round of Group D matches.