I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. The facilities are great. He said getting involved in charity work and fundraisers, including running half-marathons in memory of his brother, had helped him to deal with his sibling's death. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. It didnt sit right with me. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 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). 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. 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. I feel everything: anger, sadness. It was horrible. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. Anyone can read what . 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. 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. But from 10.30pm local time, any sense of complacency seemed tragically misplaced, as a brutal battle began between Leeds supporters and a group of Turks, with running fights in the streets. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. 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. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray supporters prior to the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2000. 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. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. 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. 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 . 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. She remarried and shes carried on with her life but its still there, every time you come up to my dads birthday or the anniversary. Bitexen Giresunspor 0 - 4 Galatasaray MORE. [41] It was noted by Turkish newspaper, Radikal that cannabis was being freely traded in the city square during the time before the riots, and the police did nothing about it. His financial record at Leeds was dismal and Leeds never forget about it. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. . She knows who he was but its not the same.. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. Turk admits stabbing murdered Leeds fan | Soccer | The Guardian Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. The families of the victims will tell you that. 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. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. Witnesses said he had been bludgeoned by police as he cradled a dying Chris in the street. But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. Another picture, taken by the Yorkshire Evening Posts Mark Bickerdike, shows Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate stepping from the tunnel with tangible shock on their faces. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. No one meant for it to happen. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. I just said to them, Good luck., Galatasarays reputation went before them. Twenty years on from Istanbul: the night when football became murder Menu 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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Association with the tragedy can be difficult. It was our way of making sure the cameras and the world took notice of us.. And I still blame myself a lot.. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. The stadium is stuck in a state of eerie silence but this Sunday it will do what it always does on April 5 by standing in salute to the two who were lost. In fact, the Leeds United supporters, arriving for the first leg of their Uefa Cup semi-final with Galatasaray, were at first greeted in a way which mostly belied the Welcome to Hell banners which have traditionally greeted English teams there. 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. My dad is ex-World Cup star and BBC pundit but I want glory in a 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. Within minutes, a pitched battle erupted. 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. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. 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. The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. They will never be forgotten.. Man United respond to Leeds hostility with thrilling win as Harry It was a load of shit. Wed spoken about doing something beforehand, he says. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. Try a week on us. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. "There's a lot of anger. Galatasaray player apologises to Leeds fans for knife tweet How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. In the early hours of the morning after the death of two Leeds United supporters in Istanbul, Peter Ridsdale met with a delegate from UEFA at one of the citys police stations. A lot of what the police were doing was pure intimidation, Fallows says. galatasaray leeds death. For me, it didnt feel real. You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. It might be fair to say that the events of 2000 are a reason to dissuade a footballer with ties to Leeds from engaging with Galatasaray but not necessarily to prohibit him from signing, especially as time goes by. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 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. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. Given that context and these examples only really scratch the surface of everything that happened in April 2000 there was no way in which a player like Gjanni Alioski could consider leaving Leeds and joining Galatasaray, as he did for many months, without bracing himself for a tense political path and the objection he encountered online. I genuinely feared for our lives. Send any friend a story. No question.. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. Because I was so young and the memories arent clear, I get times when I ask myself if it really happened. Holly, as a two-year-old, was left with no memories at all. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". 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. [17] This came after Arsenal had warned the police before the final that there could be hooligans travelling to Copenhagen. 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.. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. A few hours later two Leeds supporters, Kevin Speight, 40, and Christopher Loftus, 37, were dead from stab wounds. Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. [22] The riots did not spread to the stadium, although there was an attempt to pull down the fences by fans heading towards the Arsenal area of the stadium before police stopped them. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. Turkish Prime Minister Blent Ecevit also made a call for fans to avoid violence after the riots, stating: Sports should be an initiative for friendship, not for fighting. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. [47] Michael Doherty, the chairman of the Communication Workers Union, and his brother Tom took Royal Mail to an Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal claiming they had been acting in self-defence. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. A fortnight ago, Ridsdale was voted onto the EFLs board. Its a strange thing but its important to me. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. 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. Leeds' bitter hatred towards the Turkish side is no secret after two of their supporters, Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight, were stabbed to death by Galatasaray fans prior to the UEFA Cup. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. He described the Turkish policing as diabolical and out of control. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. 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And worse things too. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. [24] It was claimed that the police failed to control the riots,[43] and that they had been undermanned and outmaneuvered, to which Mogens Lauridsen, the police chief in Copenhagen admitted that the police had been "under-prepared". Within an hour of the stabbings in central Istanbul, some of David OLearys squad emerged to speak to him. It sunk in quickly once we got home. I spent the whole night thinking, What are we doing here? And when the Leeds fans turned their backs to the pitch, total respect to them because the football meant nothing. 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. Hed just met a girl. Exclusive: Leeds icon Martyn on 21st anniversary of Galatasaray murders Give our social media channels a follow . Harry Kewell - Wikipedia Read about our approach to external linking. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. I knew the ramifications would be life-long., (Photo: Phil Noble PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images), 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. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. [2] As a family, I dont know how you come to terms with that., Inside the Ali Sami Yen, hundreds of Leeds supporters attended the first leg as planned and were housed in a small section of yellow seats. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. Surprise me? Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. [15] In the fight, Paul Dineen, an Arsenal fan, was stabbed, leading to Arsenal offering fans refunds if they did not want to fly to the game. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. 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. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. I went off the rails, he says. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. He can picture the facade as he entered and the floorplan of the area where other injured Leeds fans had congregated; where Speight lay on an operating table, desperate for surgery. The Danish police were also criticized for their mishandling of the riots. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; a huge occasion for the club in a football sense, Ridsdale says. Everything happened in a flash. galatasaray leeds death The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans . [10][12] This led to the final being considered "high risk"; 2,000 members of the Danish police were assigned to the game, with assistance from members of British and Turkish police forces. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. ", "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. Holmes was there and witnessed the entire away end turning their backs to the pitch with arms raised, an act of silent defiance and dissent. 2023 BBC. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. There was the time when the pub opened its doors early to allow the locals to catch an early kick-off between Leeds and Manchester United. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". Both had numerous other wounds. 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. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. Later in the evening, a group of around 20 Leeds supporters broke off and found their way to the Riddim bar near Taksim Square, the huge expanse in the centre of Istanbul which was filled with places to eat and drink. 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. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . The story goes that he and his wife Susan got together after he offered her a lift on the back of one. 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. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". "We did amazing business in one hour. The way the police and the authorities were with us.