I genuinely feared for our lives. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Surprise me? He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. It sunk in quickly once we got home. [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. But the Leeds fans do not see it that way. "They came into town to see. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. 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 . Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. 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. 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 had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. The deaths of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus on the night before Leeds played their Uefa Cup semi-final first leg with Galatasaray - 20 years ago yesterday - represent one of the darkest and. 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. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous evening were rapidly sinking in and for those who were closest to it, the images wont fade. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. Anyone can read what . zhuri james net worth 2021 / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes Give our social media channels a follow . As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. 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. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. Youre a kid. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 Obviously he liked his football too. Thats just how the system worked. [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. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. "There's a lot of anger. People speak well of him. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. I heard the rumours that some Leeds fan wiped his arse with a Turkey flag and things like that but people tell me none of its true. He has a busy job as an electrician and a twinkle in his eye. They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". 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. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. 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. 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 know what he did for us.. It was a load of shit. [23] The violence, which included fans from other English clubs[24] and Turks living in Denmark,[25] lasted for 45 minutes. We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable.. 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. 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. Association with the tragedy can be difficult. 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. 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. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. He said getting involved in charity work and fundraisers, including running half-marathons in memory of his brother, had helped him to deal with his sibling's death. The death of the two Leeds fans in street fighting in central Istanbul on Wednesday turned Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium into an armed camp, with 10,000 police patrolling in and around the . "We did amazing business in one hour. Ali Umit . It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. Fans in nearby bars remained unaware of the violence. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. And thats without even mentioning what had gone on the night before with the two lads who were killed. 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. At a local police station, at around 4am on April 6, Ridsdale was given a stark message by the UEFA representative who turned up there: play the game, or forfeit it and incur an automatic 3-0 defeat. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. A fortnight ago, Ridsdale was voted onto the EFLs board. The Danish police were also criticized for their mishandling of the riots. [8], The stabbings caused anger throughout the United Kingdom, and subsequently members of Arsenal's hooligan firms The Herd and The Gooners,[9] wanted to avenge the deaths of the Leeds fans, and telephoned other British hooligan firms, inviting them to join them in Copenhagen to attack Galatasaray fans. Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. 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 dont know why.. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. Within a year, however, Demir, following an appeal, was a free man after his conviction was quashed and a re-trial ordered. Tuesday 5th April 2022 marks 22 years since two loyal Leeds United supporters, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, travelled to Turkey to watch their beloved team in action but tragically never returned home. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. 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. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 When he arrived at the hospital, Darren was in a bed with head injuries. We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. They all say no. It is wrong to presume to tell those who were affected by the events in Istanbul how to feel or how to react to a player taking Galatasarays money. 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. Ill hear them saying, Thats Kevin Speights lad and I like that. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. 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). Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. My mum flicked it straight off again. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. The slit-throat gestures from fans as we arrived on the bus. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous. There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. 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. By that stage he was exhausted. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. It was completely against your idea of law and order. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? . 12/02/2021 . 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. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. [40], The Danish police were also criticised for their handling of the riots. 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.

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