It sunk in quickly once we got home. In its opinion, contesting the game was the least worst option. This led to 19 injuries, including 4 stabbings, and 60 arrests with similar events occurring in England and Turkey in the aftermath of the riots. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. 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. 'There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. 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 . 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. 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. UEFA, after a week of consideration, agreed with Leeds. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. Bitexen Giresunspor 0 - 4 Galatasaray MORE. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. 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. [40], The Danish police were also criticised for their handling of the riots. It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. [23] The violence, which included fans from other English clubs[24] and Turks living in Denmark,[25] lasted for 45 minutes. 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. "There's a lot of anger. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. 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. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. I had no idea where we were going or why we were going there, he says. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. "Most were kind, but there were five or six really crazy guys. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. 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. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. It shows all personal information about the players, including age, nationality, contract duration and market value. Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. "When you see a man having to identify the body of his brother with a massive stab wound in his chest it just isn't what you'd associate with football.". Even so, the counterargument holds water. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. #RIPChrisAndKev. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. Rory Carroll in Istanbul and Martin Wainwright. 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. David Davies, the Football Association's executive director, called it "frankly, the least worst option". Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were killed in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2000, Their deaths had left a "lasting impact" on their families, a former Leeds United chairman said. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. . I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. The Loftuses fought for justice for as long as they could. Last year, on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul, The Athletic spoke to some of the people closest to the tragedy and some of the people most affected by it. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. [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. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. 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. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". We are no longer accepting comments on this article. My mum just felt she had to move on. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. 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. [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. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Leeds fans had planned to honour the memories of Speight and Loftus this weekend by holding up photos of the two murdered men at the home game with Blackburn Rovers. 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. Within minutes, a pitched battle erupted. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". [50] In 2012 Piers Morgan, the editor of the Daily Mirror at the time and a high-profile Arsenal fan who attended the match, apologised for printing the pictures. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Leeds supporters who were present denied causing trouble and the UK coroner who presided over the inquest, David Hinchliff, stated in unequivocal terms that Speight and Loftus were the innocent victims of a deliberate ambush. [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. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. Its 20 years now but I dont think Ill ever get over it. It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. 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). Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. 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. Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. [30] In total, nineteen people were injured and sixty people were arrested,[27] with 15 of the arrested being subsequently banned from attending Euro 2000. UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. 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. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. [14] The Arsenal fans left the bar to confront the Galatasaray fans, which led to a fight lasting for an hour before riot police managed to control it and arrested four Britons and four Turks. ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. People speak well of him. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt AMA/Getty Images). Menu 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. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". 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. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. [19] The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square. [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. Soon, they arrived at a flight of steps and a spot which would generate one of the lasting images of the entire tragedy. 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. lisa left eye zodiac sign Search. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. "They came into town to see. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. This caused a severe riot in the city square, with several restaurant facilities used by fans to fight each other, with iron bars and knives also being used. [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. 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. . [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. 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. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 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. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. 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. 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. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? We had to say to them as clearly as we could, If you go into the streets, if you go out drinking, we cant tell you how dangerous itll be. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. The Danish police were also criticized for their mishandling of the riots. It was how away days in Europe played out. Eddie Gray is crouching down as he runs up from underground and into the open air. 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 security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. I genuinely feared for our lives. 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. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". My sympathy was with them. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic.. As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Melbourne Victory, Al-Gharafa and Melbourne Heart. You dont get it.. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. The images of that never grow old. I went off the rails, he says. [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]. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. 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. And I still blame myself a lot.. We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable.. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. ', By The families of the victims will tell you that. 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. No question.. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. Leeds will on Saturday afternoon mark 15 years since the deaths of supporters Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, who were stabbed by a Galatasaray fan in April 2000. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. Thats what they were, kids. Several fans offered to foot the bill. And worse things too. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. It wasnt a proper A&E unit. 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. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. 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. Confusion reigned. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. galatasaray leeds death. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. Squad Galatasaray This page displays a detailed overview of the club's current squad. Some headed for the James Joyce pub 200 metres away and joined a sing-song against Galatasaray. It was horrible. 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. Association with the tragedy can be difficult. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. Further information on the Istanbul violence: "Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell", "16 Hardcore Hooligan Firms, Ultras Groups We Wouldn't Want to Mess with", "Soldiers join hooligans to attack Turks in Cup clash", "Town in fear as drunken English pour in", "Arsenal-Galatasaray, sous le signe de la violence", "English, Turkish fans clash on eve final", "Copenhagen police overrun as soccer fans cause mayhem", "Folkefest endte i vold og masseslagsml", "Surprise attack by Arsenal fans seeking revenge sparked battle", "Violence erupts again as English and Turkish football fans riot in Copenhagen", "Danish police fear more brawls after European soccer final", "Violence overshadows historic soccer victory", "Charleroi lobby yet to learn lessons of Heysel", "Turkish and English fans clash at airport", "Galatasaray Wins UEFA Cup After Day of Rioting by Fans", "England told: more rioting and you're out", "Piers Morgan On Arsenal, Foreign Ownership and Twitter Rants", "SPORTS - The shadow on the UEFA Cup triumph", "How long until Turk fans cause another death on the pitch? 2023 BBC. 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. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. It was completely against your idea of law and order. My mum flicked it straight off again. "We came out of a bar and there were 100 people waiting for us with machetes, knives, bits of chair and table legs and they just attacked us. 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. Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. 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. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. 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]. ", "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. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. Leeds head of security at the game recalled police officers lining the corridors in Galatasarays ground as the players emerged from the dressing room; an attempt, in his eyes, to intimidate them as they prepared to go onto the pitch. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. You ask them one by one if 20 years have helped them process what happened. It triggered something and I ran into the ward. 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. Who really cares?. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. [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. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. I feel everything: anger, sadness. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Risdale says. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. 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. He described the Turkish policing as diabolical and out of control. Obviously he liked his football too. Anyone can read what . I had joked with him and said, At least youll be safe. He gave me a look and said, Or maybe not., The attitude as far as I could see was, Lets intimidate these lads and see what happens. Leeds back then had a lot of kids in their squad.