"Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. 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. 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. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. Something went wrong, please try again later. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. 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. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. Istanbul was life and death and more than focusing on Alioski himself, the attention on him generated by the very prospect of a move to Turkey itself should make us ask why it was ever allowed to come to this; a horrific episode which offered no chance of peace or proper closure. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. The away supporters responded with songs about two Leeds fans who were stabbed to death in Istanbul prior to a fixture against Galatasaray in 2000. . 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. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. , updated 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]. 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. 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. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. 'There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". Youre a kid. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. 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. Give our social media channels a follow . "Kevin had two young children. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. The slit-throat gestures from fans as we arrived on the bus. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. 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. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. They all say no. Witnesses said he had been bludgeoned by police as he cradled a dying Chris in the street. By [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. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. galatasaray leeds death. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. Both had numerous other wounds. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. I make no secret of that., Leeds were beaten 2-0 in Istanbul and lost over two legs after a 2-2 draw at home. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. 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. The families of the victims will tell you that. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. This year is the 20th anniversary of the mens deaths in Istanbul and many of their relatives carry those events as if they happened yesterday. Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. Andy got a pint at the bar. 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. . 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. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. One Love was a controlled situation. 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. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. 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. The passing of time is there in all of them. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. She knows who he was but its not the same.. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. That decision drew much criticism, as well it might. Ridsdale agreed to send his wife and other officials back but instructed a car to take him and Spencer to Taksim Hospital. Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. [34] The Copenhagen riots followed a long line of similar events involving English football fans, and in June, UEFA's executive committee listed the Heysel Stadium disaster, disorders in Charleroi and Brussels, the killing of the two Leeds fans in Istanbul, and the Copenhagen riots and warned the British government that if there was any more rioting then England would be expelled from Euro 2000. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. 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. He had been involved in the plane crash which Leeds players and coaches escaped from on the way home from a Premier League game at West Ham United in 1998. 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. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. 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. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? The eggs were massive and I was chuffed to bits with mine, he says. [44], In the United Kingdom, the Daily Mirror newspaper printed pictures of Arsenal fans alleged to have been part of the violence. We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous evening were rapidly sinking in and for those who were closest to it, the images wont fade. He just happened to run into some tossers with knives., George was so young that the aftermath almost strayed into boyhood adventure. I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. It is regarded as a significant act of betrayal by many fans for a Leeds player to join Galatasaray. But it was common sense. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? 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. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; a huge occasion for the club in a football sense, Ridsdale says. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. The second leg was totally different. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. Send any friend a story. 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. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. 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. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. 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. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt AMA/Getty Images). Some headed for the James Joyce pub 200 metres away and joined a sing-song against Galatasaray. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. Its the most terrified Ive ever been, he says. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. 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. 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. According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. We tried to keep a lot of the information about what had happened [to Speight and Loftus] from them, rightly or wrongly. He had travelled to the hospital where injured fans were being treated and arranged payment for a blood transfusion for Kevin Speight, one of the two who died. 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. [2] Its 20 years now but I dont think Ill ever get over it. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. 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. I genuinely feared for our lives. 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. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. 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. 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). 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 had a passion for Lambretta scooters and spent his spare time fixing old models in his mothers garden. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. [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. You dont take much notice of whats said because youre out there for a beer and a laugh. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. Who really cares?. Anyone can read what . By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. 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 say that as someone who was back at his hotel when the stabbings occurred, he would be one of the last people to blame. Squad Galatasaray This page displays a detailed overview of the club's current squad. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. Both had numerous other wounds. 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. The Loftuses fought for justice for as long as they could. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. [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. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item #respect. 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". Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. 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. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. It was totally deliberate. 12/02/2021 . ', Some wrote stronger messages, such as: 'Washed my hands with Alioski if he f***s off to those vermin. [21] This lasted 20 minutes[19] before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs[22] and tear gas. The plaque on the wall by Elland Roads East Stand says Never Forgotten and Leeds United swore themselves to those words. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. Anywhere else in Europe, I doubt it would have been played. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. I didnt want to do it either. The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. 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. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected .
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