[29], In all, four people were stabbed during the riots: two English, one Turkish and one Dutch fan. For me, it didnt feel real. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. 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. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). They all say no. In fact, the Leeds United supporters, arriving for the first leg of their Uefa Cup semi-final with Galatasaray, were at first greeted in a way which mostly belied the Welcome to Hell banners which have traditionally greeted English teams there. Grieving Leeds Faces Galatasaray Rematch : It Is a Matter of Life Or He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. [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. 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. [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. They will never be forgotten.. CATEGORIES . He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. galatasaray leeds death [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. Galatasaray - Detailed squad 22/23 | Transfermarkt But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. "I haven't seen a single Englishman all day," said a newspaper vendor. [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. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. He described the Turkish policing as diabolical and out of control. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. And worse things too. It triggered something and I ran into the ward. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. [2] 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. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. Without his help, my mum would have been a bit lost, George says. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. 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). According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. 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. 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. [22] The riots did not spread to the stadium, although there was an attempt to pull down the fences by fans heading towards the Arsenal area of the stadium before police stopped them. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? The police told us themselves that the shoe-shine boys had been trailing us for a while, waiting to see when some of us had split away from the main group.. Exclusive: Leeds icon Martyn on 21st anniversary of Galatasaray murders I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. [39] Later on, British media blame also transferred towards Galatasaray fans. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? In the first leg it was difficult to say, Lets get out there do it for the two lads because we didnt have the full picture, Gray says. It was totally deliberate. 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. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. 12/02/2021 . 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. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. , updated Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. 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. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. Witnesses said he had been bludgeoned by police as he cradled a dying Chris in the street. I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Risdale says. Even so, the counterargument holds water. Give our social media channels a follow . 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. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. Given that context and these examples only really scratch the surface of everything that happened in April 2000 there was no way in which a player like Gjanni Alioski could consider leaving Leeds and joining Galatasaray, as he did for many months, without bracing himself for a tense political path and the objection he encountered online. 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. 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. Ill hear them saying, Thats Kevin Speights lad and I like that. [25] The British fans were later released without charge but were forbidden from returning to Denmark. [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. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. The police were doing nothing to stop them. 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. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. Life is good. When the press came round, me and my cousin would bounce on my bed to try and get in the photos and in the papers. 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. I genuinely feared for our lives. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. The police claim he was punched. There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. 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. The second leg was totally different. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". A few hours later two Leeds supporters, Kevin Speight, 40, and Christopher Loftus, 37, were dead from stab wounds. [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. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence - Wikiwand Leeds had worries on several fronts: maintaining the safety of other fans in the city, helping the relatives of Speight and Loftus in Turkey and at home, and deciding whether the game at the Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. The images are so vivid in Peter Ridsdales mind that he can describe every aspect of the hospital where Speight and Loftus were taken after they were attacked. He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". There was nothing you could say to him. Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. 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.
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