They ploughed on regardless, much like UEFA, and left Ridsdale thinking that their directors were more worried about distancing themselves from the stabbings than helping Leeds cope with them. 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. They had been a couple since their teens. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Try a week on us. That is true. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. 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. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Bitexen Giresunspor 0 - 4 Galatasaray MORE. 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. The Turkish police didnt give a shit about us. [18] Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. You dont take much notice of whats said because youre out there for a beer and a laugh. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. I went off the rails, he says. ", "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. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. 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. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. There is very little about the football which Ridsdale cares to remember and at the Ali Sami Yen, the stadium was so overcrowded that he had Galatasaray fans in front of him literally sat on my feet. The next day, he and Leeds players and coaching staff reached the airport, climbed on a plane and flew home. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. Read about our approach to external linking. The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. The images are so vivid in Peter Ridsdales mind that he can describe every aspect of the hospital where Speight and Loftus were taken after they were attacked. 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. Ill be careful here but I have to say that I felt uncomfortable welcoming Galatasarays delegates to Elland Road. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. "They came into town to see. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. Something went wrong, please try again later. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Its a game. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. 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. ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. 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. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. 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. 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. 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. 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. The shadow of Istanbul is longer for Andy Loftus. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. No question.. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. The second leg was totally different. [23] The violence, which included fans from other English clubs[24] and Turks living in Denmark,[25] lasted for 45 minutes. It was horrible. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. Theyd turned on their tellies and it was all over the Turkish news, Fallows says. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. They will never be forgotten.. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. [2] 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. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. It was totally deliberate. 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. Friends and family of Speight and Loftus had congregated there and other Leeds fans were waiting with more minor injuries, some of them slash wounds. The Loftuses fought for justice for as long as they could. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. 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. He was eight when the deaths occurred and he was 25 when he came to England as a professional. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. 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. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. A lot of what the police were doing was pure intimidation, Fallows says. It didnt sit right with me. Your choice, the official replied. They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. Anger: Leeds fans are angry that Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder has announced a new knife range on the 15th anniversary of the stabbing of two fans in Istanbul, Violence: An injured fan is taken away after riots between Leeds and Galatasaray fans before match in Turkey, Horror: A fan is escorted away from the violence by a police officer after riots between Leeds and Galatasaray fans. Several fans offered to foot the bill. And many have voiced their opinion on social media following a report by Football Insider that Alioski has agreed a pre-contract to join the rivals in the summer. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. [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". Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. Both had numerous other wounds. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. And I still blame myself a lot.. 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. The set of knives, emblazoned with Galatasaray's colours, are produced by Dutch firm Senvi and are available for 22. 2023 BBC. They stressed as delicately as they could the importance of staying indoors. 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 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. Around them, riot police are standing with shields in the air, protecting the players from what Fallows says was all sorts of things smashing off them. She knows who he was but its not the same.. 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. I was amazed, he says. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". UEFA, after a week of consideration, agreed with Leeds. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. 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. It shows all personal information about the players, including age, nationality, contract duration and market value. In 2014 he was spoken to by a Turkish website, a free man again. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. Ali Umit . They all say no. I feel everything: anger, sadness. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. Some headed for the James Joyce pub 200 metres away and joined a sing-song against Galatasaray. The only thing I could compare it to is the One Love concert in Manchester (held after the terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in 2017) and thats purely because of how difficult the logistics of One Love were, he says. So Leeds did. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. [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. 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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. Nigel Martyn has exclusively told LeedsUnited.News that playing against Galatasaray in the first leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2000 - just 24 hours after the murders of two Leeds fans - is to this day, his biggest regret in football. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans.
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