Both families come here each April 5, to lay flowers and let another year pass. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. He has never spoken about his memories of Turkey before but, like Andy Loftus, says he wants to reflect 20 years on. Ali Umit . Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. Turkish eye-witnesses accused Leeds fans of insulting women, defacing the Turkish flag, urinating in the street and tipping over a car. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. They felt we were overreacting and on the day of the game in Istanbul there was no attempt to make sure the match passed off safely or securely, not that I could see. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. 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. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. 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. There was nothing you could say to him. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. ', By It was how away days in Europe played out. 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. Leeds fans RAGING at Ezgjan Alioski transfer links to Galatasaray It was obvious that Galatasaray were making no concession for what had taken place, so that was our form of protest. 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. 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. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. Fallows is convinced that Galatasaray and the Turkish police made deliberate attempts to rattle and unsettle away teams, forcing players to squeeze through tight lines of officers to gain entry to the ground and admitting thousands of home fans to the stadium hours before kick-off. 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. I was amazed, he says. The way the police and the authorities were with us. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . . 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. Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed during street clashes the night before Leeds played Turkey's Galatasaray in the second leg of the Uefa Cup semi-finals in April 2000. 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. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. Jesus. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. [40], The Danish police were also criticised for their handling of the riots. Turk admits stabbing murdered Leeds fan | Soccer | The Guardian 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". He visited his fathers body in the chapel of rest across the road, bringing pictures he had drawn for him with felt tips. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. galatasaray leeds death [12] However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence. Read about our approach to external linking. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. 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. It was only when Gray arrived home that his parents asked if he was OK and told him about the many Rangers fans who had died. Though the versions of Leeds fans and Turkish witnesses are almost entirely at odds, it appears the trouble started in the city's entertainment district outside the Riddim reggae bar in Buyuk Parmakkapi Street. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. 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. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. 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. [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. Leeds United fans' deaths in Turkey 20 years ago 'feels like - BBC 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 Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. 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. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. A fortnight ago, Ridsdale was voted onto the EFLs board. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. 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. Both had numerous other wounds. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. When he arrived at the hospital, Darren was in a bed with head injuries. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . lisa left eye zodiac sign Search. 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He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. [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. It sunk in quickly once we got home. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. It was a load of shit. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. 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). ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. Through different eyes and different viewpoints, a picture built up of the disregard and indifference with which they had been treated by those they looked to for help. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". [17] This came after Arsenal had warned the police before the final that there could be hooligans travelling to Copenhagen. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. 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). 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. 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. A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. The police claim he was punched. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. Those killed were "attackers", it said. zhuri james net worth 2021 / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. [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. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. It triggered something and I ran into the ward. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. Thats just how the system worked. Its that attitude of, They must have gone looking for it. All the stuff about cars being tipped over, us disrespecting their women if youd been there, youd know. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. Kewell grew up in Leeds academy and was in the starting line-up for both legs against Galatasaray. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. Turkish man jailed for stabbing deaths of Leeds fans Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. "Kevin had two young children. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. 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. He just happened to run into some tossers with knives., George was so young that the aftermath almost strayed into boyhood adventure. galatasaray leeds death. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. Has to be the biggest DO NOT for any Leeds player!! [10] It was reported that members of Leeds United's Leeds United Service Crew[11] and Chelsea's Chelsea Headhunters, along with hooligans supporting Rangers, Cardiff City and Swansea City all travelled to Denmark to join Arsenal fans in attacks on Galatasaray fans. US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. We could only do what we thought was best at that moment. The journey to the stadium prior to kick-off made him wish he had forfeited it and taken the consequences. 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.

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