Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. Both had numerous other wounds. They all say no. There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. 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. [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. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. 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. Several fans offered to foot the bill. Squad Galatasaray This page displays a detailed overview of the club's current squad. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. People speak well of him.
Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell Spencer interrupted dinner to advise Ridsdale that they should return to the hotel immediately. Chelsea 1-0 Leeds LIVE: Blues finally find the breakthrough as Wesley Fofana heads home the opener in the second half in a game Graham Potter really needs to win as Brighton and Aston Villa . As. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. Early relaxation gave way to brutal battle as rivals taunted each other, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. It wasnt a proper A&E unit. [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. Me and the security team tried to create a bit of a cushion between them so the players werent worried about getting batoned, Fallows says. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. The man named as the prime suspect in the killings, a cafe owner named Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. I dont want to imply criticism of the hospital for that, Ridsdale says. 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. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. Everything was muddled. 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. The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. 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 Galatasaray dealt with that tragedy By Phil Hay Jul 24, 2021 In the early hours of the morning after the death of two Leeds. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. They will never be forgotten.. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. The way the police and the authorities were with us. 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. "I haven't seen a single Englishman all day," said a newspaper vendor. Galatasaray football player Wesley Sneijder has released a commemorative knife set - on the 15th anniversary of the fatal stabbing of two Leeds fans by Turkish supporters. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We had hundreds of fans in Turkey, some in the air and another plane due to fly the following morning (the morning flight out from Leeds-Bradford Airport was rapidly cancelled). [44], In the United Kingdom, the Daily Mirror newspaper printed pictures of Arsenal fans alleged to have been part of the violence. In May 2002 Demir, who admitted the stabbings, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with four other men imprisoned for three months each. [2] 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]. I know bits and bats but it doesnt help me to go over it, he says. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. And thats without even mentioning what had gone on the night before with the two lads who were killed. 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We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. As chairman of Leeds, he told the UEFA official that it would make sense to postpone the first leg of the semi-final which Leeds and Galatasaray were about to play. 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. 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. [38] The photos led to some postmen working for Royal Mail losing their jobs because they had been seen in the photos and in television coverage,[46] even though they had not been arrested. But it was common sense. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. 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. [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. [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. Leeds and Galatasaray have an extremely volatile relationship following the death of two Leeds supporters prior to the UEFA CUp semi-final back in 2000. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. I think you just go into a downward spiral. "They came into town to see. 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. By
Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder launches knife range - mirror Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. The routine for Andy and others who went abroad with Leeds was always the same: straight to the hotel, straight into town, straight on the beer. 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. 2023 BBC. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". [19] The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. Those April nights were as close as Leeds will get to it.
Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. 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. 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. "They were screaming all sorts of things. 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. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? [21] This lasted 20 minutes[19] before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs[22] and tear gas. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. The 45-year-old was an unused sub when Leeds were defeated by Galatasaray in an infamous 1999-00 Uefa Cup semi-finals - a match that was overshadowed by the death of two Yorkshire fans in the . Confusion reigned. Bitexen Giresunspor 0 - 4 Galatasaray MORE.
Twenty years on from Istanbul: the night when football became murder We tried to keep a lot of the information about what had happened [to Speight and Loftus] from them, rightly or wrongly.
galatasaray leeds death - Sercano TV Rory Carroll in Istanbul and Martin Wainwright. 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. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. Galatasaray beat English team Leeds United but their matches were marred by violence: two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death before their semi-final first leg at Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul on 6 April 2000. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. The passing of time is there in all of them. He died in an operating theatre in the early hours of the morning, despite Leeds United paying for blood supplies to be rushed to him. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. The brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt AMA/Getty Images). After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. Staff said many fans were drunk by 10pm, intimidating Turkish families drinking in the lounge. "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.". "It's just a bit of a rollercoaster ride really but we get by," he said. Football and Leedss financial collapse made Ridsdale persona non grata at Elland Road but George says his mums face lit up when she heard that he was being interviewed for this article. 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. Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? It was totally deliberate. Menu 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. "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. 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. Theyd turned on their tellies and it was all over the Turkish news, Fallows says. 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 had a passion for Lambretta scooters and spent his spare time fixing old models in his mothers garden. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. Something went wrong, please try again later. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. "Kevin had two young children. Speight was with a group of Leeds fans attacked by Turkish locals outside a bar by Istanbuls Taksim Square, sustaining a slash wound to his stomach. The connection was not comparable to Kewells. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen. 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). When they landed at Leeds-Bradford airport, a Leeds United club car was waiting to pick them up from the runaway, avoiding the cameras waiting inside. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to.
Turkish man jailed for stabbing deaths of Leeds fans My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. We looked up the steps and all you could see at the top was the dark sky and riot shields around the entrance to the pitch. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support.
Massive riots Galatasaray - Leeds / Arsenal 2000 - YouTube The shadow of Istanbul is longer for Andy Loftus. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag.
galatasaray leeds death If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. The Turkish.
2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence - Wikipedia After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. Disgusting. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Read about our approach to external linking. Ali Umit . Jesus. The set of knives, emblazoned with Galatasaray's colours, are produced by Dutch firm Senvi and are available for 22. No one meant for it to happen. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. 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. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. He had been up all night receiving news of the stabbings, inflicted during violence which broke out on the eve of a UEFA Cup tie between Leeds and Galatasaray. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. 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 fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. 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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United.
The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 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. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. The plaque on the wall by Elland Roads East Stand says Never Forgotten and Leeds United swore themselves to those words. He was showered with stickers and sweets gifts from friends who lived locally and Ridsdale, who supported both families throughout, delivered Easter eggs to the house for him and Holly. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans.
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. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. 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. Thats what they were, kids. 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. . Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. Speight and Loftus were not close friends but knew each other in passing, as travelling football fans do. 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.