It shows all personal information about the players, including age, nationality, contract duration and market value. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. 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. Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. In the case of Loftus brother Andy, he prefers not to make a big deal of his surname for fear of the questions that might follow; the feeling of being always on show. 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots - Wikipedia He just happened to run into some tossers with knives., George was so young that the aftermath almost strayed into boyhood adventure. [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. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. It was weird because when we got in the car, the game (Galatasaray versus Leeds) had just started and was on the radio, Andy says. The shadow of Istanbul is longer for Andy Loftus. 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. "They came into town to see. Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder launches knife range - mirror Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! 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. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. Anyone can read what . He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. As. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. 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. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. And I still blame myself a lot.. 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. 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence - Wikiwand Obviously he liked his football too. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. Alioski defended amid Leeds fans' fury over Galatasaray transfer links I was amazed, he says. 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. [2] The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. 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. 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. But the Leeds fans do not see it that way. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. You ask them one by one if 20 years have helped them process what happened. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. And it is far too late to redress that now. 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. [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]. 2023 BBC. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". It was a load of shit. galatasaray leeds death.
Everything happened in a flash. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. #RIPChrisAndKev. He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. 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. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. People know me because of my dad, he says. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. 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. Grieving Leeds Faces Galatasaray Rematch : It Is a Matter of Life Or [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . 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. Who really cares?. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. 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. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". 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 cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 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). Those April nights were as close as Leeds will get to it. Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder apologises to Leeds fans over knife set At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. People speak well of him. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. 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. 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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Four people were stabbed in the scuffles, which also involved fans from other clubs and were viewed by the media as part of a retaliation for the killing of two Leeds United fans by Galatasaray supporters the month before. 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. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". [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". It triggered something and I ran into the ward. "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.". (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). My sympathy was with them. 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. The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. I got a lot of abuse for that and no wonder. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. David Davies, the Football Association's executive director, called it "frankly, the least worst option". Galatasaray wanted me from the start. Former Leeds United Chairman Peter Ridsdale said: "The lasting impact has been to see the devastating effect it's had on Christopher and Kevin's families. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. Confusion reigned. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. My mum flicked it straight off again. Within an hour of the stabbings in central Istanbul, some of David OLearys squad emerged to speak to him. 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. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. 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 liked a drink and a laugh, simple as that, Andy says. By that stage he was exhausted. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. 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He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence - Wikipedia [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. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. And worse things too. The way the police and the authorities were with us. For some of it we were relying on the police and the authorities without knowing if they were going to do the right things. Before England played Turkey in a European Championship qualifier in Istanbul in 2003, Englands staff got in touch with Fallows to ask for logistical advice. Devastated., The next 24 hours were a blur. 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. 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. 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. The Loftuses fought for justice for as long as they could. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. Will Griffee For Mailonline
The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." The events of the day started early in the morning when skirmishes broke out in a bar, which led to an Arsenal fan being stabbed. Then you turn around and Kevin and Chris are lying there., In the hospitals waiting area, Andy overheard a voice saying that one of the fatalities was one of the four brothers. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. I genuinely feared for our lives. Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. How the violence started is unclear. 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 . Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. In May 2002 Demir, who admitted the stabbings, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with four other men imprisoned for three months each. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. There was the time when he was caught stealing two pounds from the pub till and sent by Speight to sit in the office until Susan came home to read the riot act. [40], The Danish police were also criticised for their handling of the riots. galatasaray leeds death. But where Galatasaray failed, and where Ridsdale specifically felt resentment, was in grasping the scale of the tragedy and in refusing to accept that violence on the streets and a UEFA Cup tie could not be classed as unrelated events once the worst had happened. 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. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans . Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. They had been a couple since their teens. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. He has never spoken about his memories of Turkey before but, like Andy Loftus, says he wants to reflect 20 years on. Ridsdale agreed to send his wife and other officials back but instructed a car to take him and Spencer to Taksim Hospital. 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". Turkish man jailed for stabbing deaths of Leeds fans Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. galatasaray leeds death - Sercano TV 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. I feel sorry for her, George says. 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 . 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. We tried to raise awareness but it was a farce. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. 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. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. 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. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. "Kevin had two young children. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. It was how away days in Europe played out. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. 12/02/2021 . 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. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. Even so, the counterargument holds water. They stressed as delicately as they could the importance of staying indoors. 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. That decision drew much criticism, as well it might. 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. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. Ali Umit . We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable..