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"There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. The slit-throat gestures from fans as we arrived on the bus. I didnt want to be standing there telling them what to do and I understood that they didnt want to hear it. CATEGORIES . They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". When the Turkish club flew over for the return leg two weeks later, an occasion as venomous and bitter as any Elland Road has hosted, they railed against Ridsdales request that their fans be banned from travelling. For me, it didnt feel real. Speight was with a group of Leeds fans attacked by Turkish locals outside a bar by Istanbuls Taksim Square, sustaining a slash wound to his stomach. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. [23] The violence, which included fans from other English clubs[24] and Turks living in Denmark,[25] lasted for 45 minutes. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . But where Galatasaray failed, and where Ridsdale specifically felt resentment, was in grasping the scale of the tragedy and in refusing to accept that violence on the streets and a UEFA Cup tie could not be classed as unrelated events once the worst had happened. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. Obviously he liked his football too. 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. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. Send any friend a story. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Speight and Loftus were not close friends but knew each other in passing, as travelling football fans do. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. Ill be careful here but I have to say that I felt uncomfortable welcoming Galatasarays delegates to Elland Road. Then you turn around and Kevin and Chris are lying there., In the hospitals waiting area, Andy overheard a voice saying that one of the fatalities was one of the four brothers. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. Those killed were "attackers", it said. [18] Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. "Kevin had two young children. 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. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". You dont get it.. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. [19] The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square. I didnt want to do it either. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. I just said to them, Good luck., Galatasarays reputation went before them. They had no direct contact with Galatasarays security officials but Fallows and Harry Stokoe, Leedss stadium manager, were able to visit the Ali Sami Yen the day before the game to map the venue out. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. Manchester United and Chelsea had contested European ties at the Ali Sami Yen previously and voiced complaints about their treatment, so Fallows increased the size of Leedss usual security detail from three to five as a precaution. 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. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured. On each trip he would set up a desk in the corridor where the team were staying, a point of contact in case of any problems. You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. The 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence in Istanbul, Turkey, between fans of English football team Leeds United and Turkish team Galatasaray before the first match of the UEFA Cup semi-final on 5 April 2000, led to two Leeds fans being stabbed to death by Galatasaray fans. [35] In response, Prime Minister Tony Blair stated: Hopefully this threat will bring to their senses anyone tempted to continue the mindless thuggery that had brought such shame to the country.[35]. The morning after Loftus and Speight were killed, Fallows and Stokoe were asked by Ridsdale to visit every hotel where the clubs supporters were staying. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. 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. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. Leeds and Galatasaray have an extremely volatile relationship following the death of two Leeds supporters prior to the UEFA CUp semi-final back in 2000. [4], It was not clear how the fight started, with reports of it either being started by Leeds fans throwing beer glasses and insulting the Turkish flag,[5] or being started by Galatasaray fans throwing chairs. Alioski was not part of that history but the history exists and the real story here far more significant than Alioski or any other footballer per se is the absence of any reconciliation over a night which feels as raw to those who witnessed it now as it did two decades ago; the lasting bitterness produced by a vacuum of empathy. One Love was a controlled situation. He had been in touch with the Turkish authorities, and with Chief Superintendent Steve Matthews from West Yorkshire police, who travels abroad with Leeds fans on away trips, and his team of three or four officers acting as "spotters". I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. 12/02/2021 . At a local police station, at around 4am on April 6, Ridsdale was given a stark message by the UEFA representative who turned up there: play the game, or forfeit it and incur an automatic 3-0 defeat. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. More importantly, we needed to find out what state the two lads were in and whether we could help them.. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . [27], At Parken Stadium, where the final was to be played, the police erected iron fencing outside to separate the Arsenal and Galatasaray fans as a precaution. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. So Leeds did. 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. The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how Galatasaray dealt with that tragedy By Phil Hay Jul 24, 2021 In the early hours of the morning after the death of two Leeds. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. If someone could have shown me those levels of intimidation, Id have refused to play the game unhesitatingly. [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. 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. 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. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. I was amazed, he says. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable.. The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. Thats just how the system worked. "Most were kind, but there were five or six really crazy guys. 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. 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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. He had a passion for Lambretta scooters and spent his spare time fixing old models in his mothers garden. [12] However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. Thats what they were, kids. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. [5] As a result of the stabbings, Leeds United banned Galatasaray fans from attending the second leg at Elland Road, claiming that the safety of fans could not be guaranteed. Welcome to Hell, Galatasaray liked to say. "It's just a bit of a rollercoaster ride really but we get by," he said. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. Leeds had taken over an entire corridor at the five-star Kempinski and the squad were in their rooms, ready to sleep ahead of the game the next night. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. I heard the rumours that some Leeds fan wiped his arse with a Turkey flag and things like that but people tell me none of its true. There was the time when he was caught stealing two pounds from the pub till and sent by Speight to sit in the office until Susan came home to read the riot act. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. 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. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. You dont take much notice of whats said because youre out there for a beer and a laugh. George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. "There's a lot of anger. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 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. 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. It shows all personal information about the players, including age, nationality, contract duration and market value. They had no direct contact with Galatasarays security officials but Fallows and Harry Stokoe, Leedss stadium manager, were able to visit the Ali Sami Yen the day before the game to map the venue out. George is different. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. Youre a kid. Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. Give our social media channels a follow . They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. And it is far too late to redress that now. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". Galatasaray fans entered the area shortly afterwards which precipitated a fight between the two sets of supporters. 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. It takes a certain amount of nerve to put a foot in both camps, which is doubtless why Harry Kewell was able to do so in 2008 when he left Liverpool for the Ali Sami Yen. When we got to the bottom of the stairs they pulled out a drawer, a bit like a filing cabinet, and Christophers body was there. , updated Confusion reigned. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. They carried beer glasses outside, we couldn't stop them, and others followed." It triggered something and I ran into the ward. The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray supporters with murder. 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. By Bowyer leads out the Leeds team as the first leg went ahead (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images), A minutes silence is observed before the return leg at Elland Road (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images). As a free agent, he had a decision to make about how best to look after himself with his 30th birthday coming next year (and in the end, looking after himself meant joining Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia last night). This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. 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. Its completely different. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. 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. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. 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. The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. Squad Galatasaray This page displays a detailed overview of the club's current squad. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. We looked up the steps and all you could see at the top was the dark sky and riot shields around the entrance to the pitch. The away crowd emptied after Rangers late equaliser without realising what had unfolded inside the ground. Peter Hunt, the British consul general in Istanbul, had been prepared for potential trouble, as are all consuls and embassies when English fans travel abroad. The setting was Turkeys biggest city, on the banks of the Bosphorus, and the game was the first leg of a UEFA Cup semi-final. I like that they remember him. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. He liked a drink and a laugh, simple as that, Andy says. Tuesday 5th April 2022 marks 22 years since two loyal Leeds United supporters, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, travelled to Turkey to watch their beloved team in action but tragically never returned home. But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Both had numerous other wounds. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. 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. galatasaray leeds death. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. Eddie Gray is crouching down as he runs up from underground and into the open air. He had been up all night receiving news of the stabbings, inflicted during violence which broke out on the eve of a UEFA Cup tie between Leeds and Galatasaray. Soon, they arrived at a flight of steps and a spot which would generate one of the lasting images of the entire tragedy. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. Life is good. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. 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. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. My mum just felt she had to move on. The events of the day started early in the morning when skirmishes broke out in a bar, which led to an Arsenal fan being stabbed. The second leg was totally different. Has to be the biggest DO NOT for any Leeds player!! Leeds had worries on several fronts: maintaining the safety of other fans in the city, helping the relatives of Speight and Loftus in Turkey and at home, and deciding whether the game at the Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. A fortnight ago, Ridsdale was voted onto the EFLs board. 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.
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