It was weird because when we got in the car, the game (Galatasaray versus Leeds) had just started and was on the radio, Andy says. I say that as someone who was back at his hotel when the stabbings occurred, he would be one of the last people to blame. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes in April 2000 at 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. Former Leeds United Chairman Peter Ridsdale said: "The lasting impact has been to see the devastating effect it's had on Christopher and Kevin's families. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? Jesus. The police claim he was punched. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. The deaths of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus on the night before Leeds played their Uefa Cup semi-final first leg with Galatasaray - 20 years ago yesterday - represent one of the darkest and. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? Ill hear them saying, Thats Kevin Speights lad and I like that. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. When the press came round, me and my cousin would bounce on my bed to try and get in the photos and in the papers. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. He died in an operating theatre in the early hours of the morning, despite Leeds United paying for blood supplies to be rushed to him. On the 21st anniversary of Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus' deaths on April 5 2000, Martyn also recalls the immediate reaction of the Leeds squad . "We came out of a bar and there were 100 people waiting for us with machetes, knives, bits of chair and table legs and they just attacked us. The man named as the prime suspect in the killings, a cafe owner named Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. Everything was muddled. Every year, the families of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus place wreathes at the plaque and go together for a drink, to catch up and reflect. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. Demir was allowed to undertake national service with the Turkish military before being convicted for a second time in June 2007 and sentenced to 80 months. The families of the victims will tell you that. A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. There was nothing you could say to him. Ridsdale can visualise it all 21 years on: the lay-out of the hospital, the chaos inside, the panicked confusion. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. pleasant grove high school / staff directory; dr omar suleiman wife esraa; ontario road trip summer; song baseball apple; waltham athletic club tennis schedule; galatasaray leeds death. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. Confusion reigned. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. Within minutes, a pitched battle erupted. You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. Past present or future..', A second added: 'Would much rather see one of the u23s get a chance at lb than Alioski for the rest of the season. ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Amid the fall-out and a world of shock in Leeds, Ridsdale suggested that the second leg at Elland Road would be safer without away fans. Loftus had already been pronounced dead and in the melee, hospital staff mistakenly assumed Ridsdale was a relative and took him downstairs to the mortuary. Give our social media channels a follow . Turkish eye-witnesses accused Leeds fans of insulting women, defacing the Turkish flag, urinating in the street and tipping over a car. My mum just felt she had to move on. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. Andy was jailed in 2013 for his part in a fight between Leeds and Tottenham Hotspur fans in which a Spurs supporter was knocked unconscious. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. I am just trying to come to terms with the fact that I have seen a dead body for the first time in 10 years. Spencer interrupted dinner to advise Ridsdale that they should return to the hotel immediately. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. For me, it didnt feel real. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to. Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. Leeds head of security at the game recalled police officers lining the corridors in Galatasarays ground as the players emerged from the dressing room; an attempt, in his eyes, to intimidate them as they prepared to go onto the pitch. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. Read about our approach to external linking. Some Arsenal fans reacted negatively to the news, claiming that there was still bad blood between the two sets of supporters and were concerned that there would be a resumption of hostilities between them.[51]. I know bits and bats but it doesnt help me to go over it, he says. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. Outside, Leeds fans reportedly taunted Turkish men. If someone could have shown me those levels of intimidation, Id have refused to play the game unhesitatingly. I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Ridsdale said last year. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. , updated I prefer to remember that way. George is a regular at Leeds games but until his teens he would wait outside the stadium at the home fixture closest to the April 5 anniversary while a minutes applause played out. How the violence started is unclear. Others suggested a group of Leeds supporters had attacked a lone Turk, possibly a taxi driver, who had then returned with a mob wielding knives and machetes. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. He liked a drink and a laugh, simple as that, Andy says. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, Leeds players needed protection from police with riot shields before their game against Galatasaray in 2000 (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images). It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. I jumped in a taxi and went back to Taksim Square., He has no recollection of how he came to be at Taksim Hospital, only that he found himself there after being told that the fighting had been serious. . Welcome to Hell, Galatasaray liked to say. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. All he recalls about the incident was being woken up by Susan the following morning and told, as softly as it could be broken, that Speight had died. The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. ", "They came to kill; Turk fans arm for war", "Arsenal worried about hooligans at UEFA Cup", "First class thugs; Postmen are caught in Copenhagen football rampage", "Post Office refuses to reinstate worker", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2000_UEFA_Cup_Final_riots&oldid=1113653919, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 October 2022, at 15:57. We tried to raise awareness but it was a farce. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. The authorities imposed sentences on some of those who had originally escaped justice with Suleyman Gokhan Guven, Ali Baydar and Yilmaz Tutus given ten, six and five years in prison respectively. Life is good. His financial record at Leeds was dismal and Leeds never forget about it. Read about our approach to external linking. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. We catch up at the cafe in an Asda store near his home in Killingbeck and he speaks bravely but reluctantly; not because he wants to but because he thinks he should, for the sake of his brother Chriss memory. I like that they remember him. I had joked with him and said, At least youll be safe. He gave me a look and said, Or maybe not., The attitude as far as I could see was, Lets intimidate these lads and see what happens. Leeds back then had a lot of kids in their squad. Everything happened in a flash. What they were seeing was pretty graphic so we said to them, Turn the tellies off, go to bed and wait for us to get some proper details. The footage was grainy and frightening, capturing a helpless Loftus with bloodstains on his shirt. Four people were stabbed in the scuffles, which also involved fans from other clubs and were viewed by the media as part of a retaliation for the killing of two Leeds United fans by Galatasaray supporters the month before. They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". A Galatasaray player who endorsed a set of knives as Leeds United paid tribute to fans fatally stabbed before a game against his club has apologised. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. Ridsdale was told by staff at the hospital that Speight was in a critical condition and needed an urgent transfusion but that the blood had to be paid for. Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. Try a week on us. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. Bitexen Giresunspor 0 - 4 Galatasaray MORE. Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. So Leeds did. We had to say to them as clearly as we could, If you go into the streets, if you go out drinking, we cant tell you how dangerous itll be. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. Staff said many fans were drunk by 10pm, intimidating Turkish families drinking in the lounge. And I still blame myself a lot.. They knew there had been trouble but the club made an effort to hold back some detail on the basis that if the game went ahead, they would need to concentrate on it. Andy is one of six siblings, two sisters and four brothers, and all of the boys Phil, Chris, Darren and Andy made the trip to Turkey. In its opinion, contesting the game was the least worst option. I didnt want to do it either. It was our way of making sure the cameras and the world took notice of us.. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The police had prior warning of potential trouble and deployed 2,000 officers to the area, yet they were unable to control the riot until they fired tear gas. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. They will never be forgotten.. The police told us themselves that the shoe-shine boys had been trailing us for a while, waiting to see when some of us had split away from the main group.. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. I dont know why.. My mum flicked it straight off again. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. Hed just met a girl. Two Leeds fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray supporters before game Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Galatasaray beat English team Leeds United but their matches were marred by violence: two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death before their semi-final first leg at Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul on 6 April 2000. You ask them one by one if 20 years have helped them process what happened. Even then, it was meant to be closed to the press but loads of them were there and they were being really intrusive, Fallows says. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. Convention required the directors of the clubs involved in a European tie to share a meal with UEFA delegates the night before the game and Galatasaray arranged the gathering, not far from the Kempinski Hotel where Leedss players and directors were staying. Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. It sunk in quickly once we got home. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. He visited his fathers body in the chapel of rest across the road, bringing pictures he had drawn for him with felt tips. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. [20], After the match, which Galatasaray won 41 on penalties, approximately 300 Arsenal fans in the Finsbury Park area of Islington in London attacked Turkish restaurants and businesses, with bottles being used to break windows. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. When the second leg came round, in the dressing room we were trying to say, Come on, lets get stuck into them. But in the back of your mind youre putting football aside. Leeds Crown Court sentenced him to 12 months. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. 15:32 EST 23 Mar 2021. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". With CCTV evidence, four men were indicted for murder within a week, including Ali Umit Demir, at whose flat the police found a knife stained with the blood of both victims. A week or so later, we lost 4-0 to Arsenal. And it is far too late to redress that now. In the first leg it was difficult to say, Lets get out there do it for the two lads because we didnt have the full picture, Gray says. They had been a couple since their teens. On April 5 2000 two Leeds fans, Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus, were stabbed to death before the 2000 Uefa Cup semi-final first leg against Galatasaray in Taksim Square, Istanbul. I was so pleased to get on the plane out of Turkey but once I got back and thought about things, the reality of two lads dying out there got to me. It is wrong to presume to tell those who were affected by the events in Istanbul how to feel or how to react to a player taking Galatasarays money. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. In the weeks after the deaths, he offered them emotional and financial assistance (the family declined to take any money) and would phone Susan regularly to keep in touch. He was on the scene as the club grieved and as much as any other of David OLearys players, he was in a position to fully comprehend both the impact of the killings and Galatasarays response to them. Ridsdale and Leedss operations director, David Spencer, were at a floating restaurant on the Bosphorus when they were phoned to tell them trouble in the centre of Istanbul had resulted in at least two fans being hospitalised. Will Griffee For Mailonline, BREAKING NEWS: Leeds United legend and all-time record goalscorer Peter Lorimer dies at the age of 74 after long-term illness, just a month on from being moved into a hospice, Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford slams 'dead' VAR after having two costly goals controversially ruled out for offsides this season as he claims the technology has 'killed the game', Marcelo Bielsa insists Leeds can't bank on Premier League safety yet, despite moving 13 points clear of the relegation zone with victory at Fulham, EDDIE GRAY: No one struck the ball like Peter Lorimer we roomed together for 10 years and he was a popular, generous man who will be missed, Michael Vaughan arrives at court for Yorkshire cricket racism hearing, Toronto Raptors post cringe-worthy about why girls run the world, Souness and Robson joke they'd kick players wearing pink boots, Graeme Souness questions Van Dijk's leadership capabilities, Man City manager Pep Guardiola speaks ahead of match against Newcastle, Liverpool v Man United: Jurgen Klopp press conference ahead of match, Daily Mail reporter tests out Formula One training techniques, Raiders star Jordan Rapan is grilled over brutal hit in match, Erik ten Hag ready for 'next step' with Man Utd by beating top four rival Liverpool at Anfield, Liverpool's April visit ticket allocation slashed by 20%, Footballer Danny Simpson talks meeting Ronaldo while on a date, NBA Star Ja Morant holds gun up to his head while at a strip club. This caused a severe riot in the city square, with several restaurant facilities used by fans to fight each other, with iron bars and knives also being used. Anyone can read what . In 2014 he was spoken to by a Turkish website, a free man again. [38] In Turkey, the media portrayed Galatasaray fans as acting in self-defence, with criticism directed at the British fans for allegedly attacking members of the press. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. Grieving Leeds Faces Galatasaray Rematch : It Is a Matter of Life Or Death, Sometimes. Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. [8], The stabbings caused anger throughout the United Kingdom, and subsequently members of Arsenal's hooligan firms The Herd and The Gooners,[9] wanted to avenge the deaths of the Leeds fans, and telephoned other British hooligan firms, inviting them to join them in Copenhagen to attack Galatasaray fans. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. Galatasaray fans attempted to provoke the Arsenal fans in the bars, and the two sides began chanting at each other until bottles were thrown from both sides around 16:00. I am not sure if the first few expected fighting but I saw one guy running to a telephone to call his friends after he saw the English.
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