I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. 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. 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. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. 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. 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. [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. Jesus. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. It is unobtrusive and reads simply: In memory of Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight who died tragically in Istanbul, April 5th 2000. "There's a lot of anger. 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. 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. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. 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. We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. [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]. 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. British fans were outnumbered and chased up side streets. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. 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. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. But eventually the issue of what to do about the game had to be addressed. 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 . The second leg was totally different. Ridsdale agreed to send his wife and other officials back but instructed a car to take him and Spencer to Taksim Hospital. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. 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. Its a strange thing but its important to me. [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. Andy is one of six siblings, two sisters and four brothers, and all of the boys Phil, Chris, Darren and Andy made the trip to Turkey. The images of that never grow old. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. 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. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. 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. 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. Obviously he liked his football too. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. 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. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. When the second leg came round, in the dressing room we were trying to say, Come on, lets get stuck into them. But in the back of your mind youre putting football aside. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. 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. The Turkish police didnt give a shit about us. 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. By The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. "They came into town to see. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". Bits of Istanbul werent in control. 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. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . 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. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. 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 like that they remember him. 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It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. zhuri james net worth 2021 / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. 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. They ploughed on regardless, much like UEFA, and left Ridsdale thinking that their directors were more worried about distancing themselves from the stabbings than helping Leeds cope with them. Disgusting. Ridsdale was told by staff at the hospital that Speight was in a critical condition and needed an urgent transfusion but that the blood had to be paid for. People know me because of my dad, he says. Will Griffee For Mailonline [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. A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. It was a load of shit. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. 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. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. 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. "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. In its opinion, contesting the game was the least worst option. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. Theyd turned on their tellies and it was all over the Turkish news, Fallows says. [29], In all, four people were stabbed during the riots: two English, one Turkish and one Dutch fan. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. Even so, the counterargument holds water. Association with the tragedy can be difficult. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. Galatasaray fans entered the area shortly afterwards which precipitated a fight between the two sets of supporters. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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). Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. [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. Peter Hunt, the British consul general in Istanbul, had been prepared for potential trouble, as are all consuls and embassies when English fans travel abroad. Give our social media channels a follow . For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. Andy got a pint at the bar. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. My mum just felt she had to move on. You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. His financial record at Leeds was dismal and Leeds never forget about it. 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. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. In May 2002 Demir, who admitted the stabbings, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with four other men imprisoned for three months each. 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. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . Ridsdale can visualise it all 21 years on: the lay-out of the hospital, the chaos inside, the panicked confusion. 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. [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". Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. Some headed for the James Joyce pub 200 metres away and joined a sing-song against Galatasaray. 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. 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. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. 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. 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. The passing of time is there in all of 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. 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. 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. [39] Later on, British media blame also transferred towards Galatasaray fans.