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. [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. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . 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. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. It was how away days in Europe played out. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. 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. "We did amazing business in one hour. BBC News | EUROPE | Turkey still angry over fans' behaviour Without his help, my mum would have been a bit lost, George says. When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". Andy got a pint at the bar. Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. 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. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. 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. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. There was nothing you could say to him. 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. Christopher's brother was there [at the time of the incident] and I think that the impact on those two families can never be underestimated.". Who really cares?. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? . He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. The set of knives, emblazoned with Galatasaray's colours, are produced by Dutch firm Senvi and are available for 22. Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? And many have voiced their opinion on social media following a report by Football Insider that Alioski has agreed a pre-contract to join the rivals in the summer. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . If someone could have shown me those levels of intimidation, Id have refused to play the game unhesitatingly. galatasaray leeds death. 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. 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. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. 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. 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. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I know bits and bats but it doesnt help me to go over it, he says. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. The only thing I could compare it to is the One Love concert in Manchester (held after the terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in 2017) and thats purely because of how difficult the logistics of One Love were, he says. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. The passing of time is there in all of them. I just said to them, Good luck., Galatasarays reputation went before them. They carried beer glasses outside, we couldn't stop them, and others followed." The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. So Leeds did. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. That is true. 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. ', Some wrote stronger messages, such as: 'Washed my hands with Alioski if he f***s off to those vermin. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. 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. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. 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. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. 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. [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. 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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. You dont get it.. "They came into town to see. 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. Hed just met a girl. And I still blame myself a lot.. "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. We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable.. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. 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. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. On each trip he would set up a desk in the corridor where the team were staying, a point of contact in case of any problems. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. Send any friend a story. It was totally deliberate. Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. 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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. galatasaray leeds death Those killed were "attackers", it said. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. 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 . We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. Has to be the biggest DO NOT for any Leeds player!! He has a busy job as an electrician and a twinkle in his eye. galatasaray leeds death - kikuyajp.com 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. 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. 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. [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. [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. It was horrible. He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. It takes a certain amount of nerve to put a foot in both camps, which is doubtless why Harry Kewell was able to do so in 2008 when he left Liverpool for the Ali Sami Yen. I didnt want to be standing there telling them what to do and I understood that they didnt want to hear it. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. One Love was a controlled situation. Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell 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. 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. 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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. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. Surprise me? 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. For me, it didnt feel real. Galatasaray tragedy will stay with Leeds United and Eirik Bakke forever But it was common sense. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? [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. [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. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. Kewell grew up in Leeds academy and was in the starting line-up for both legs against Galatasaray. Chris & Kevin - Never Forgotten - Leeds United 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. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. 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. Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. I think you just go into a downward spiral. 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. So Leeds did. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. "There's a lot of anger. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. I feel everything: anger, sadness. They had been a couple since their teens. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. I like that they remember him. 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. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. 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. And it is far too late to redress that now. 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. 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. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. 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. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support. 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. There was the time when the pub opened its doors early to allow the locals to catch an early kick-off between Leeds and Manchester United. [21] This lasted 20 minutes[19] before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs[22] and tear gas. It was obvious that Galatasaray were making no concession for what had taken place, so that was our form of protest. 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]. It didnt sit right with me. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. Its a game. Twenty years on from Istanbul: the night when football became murder I feel sorry for her, George says. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos.

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