So Leeds did. Thats what they were, kids. galatasaray leeds death The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. 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. 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. Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. "Kevin had two young children. 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. 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. They had been a couple since their teens. Chris & Kevin - Never Forgotten - Leeds United
We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. Both families come here each April 5, to lay flowers and let another year pass. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. It was a load of shit. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. 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. Ali Umit . 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 felt we were overreacting and on the day of the game in Istanbul there was no attempt to make sure the match passed off safely or securely, not that I could see. 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. The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . galatasaray leeds death. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, Leeds players needed protection from police with riot shields before their game against Galatasaray in 2000 (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images). Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. Wesley Sneijder, a Dutch international who . I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. 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. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. 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. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how 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. Leeds Crown Court sentenced him to 12 months. Its completely different. 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. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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. [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. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. Andy got a pint at the bar. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". galatasaray leeds deathashtoreth worship practices. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. 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. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. Ridsdale can visualise it all 21 years on: the lay-out of the hospital, the chaos inside, the panicked confusion. 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. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? Menu galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. As. 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. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. I feel everything: anger, sadness. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. It might be fair to say that the events of 2000 are a reason to dissuade a footballer with ties to Leeds from engaging with Galatasaray but not necessarily to prohibit him from signing, especially as time goes by. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. He visited his fathers body in the chapel of rest across the road, bringing pictures he had drawn for him with felt tips. I like that they remember him. Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell Twenty years on from Istanbul: the night when football became murder 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. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. 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. My sympathy was with them. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. They will never be forgotten.. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. . Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder apologises to Leeds fans over knife set "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. 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Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. 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. 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. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. [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. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. The police were doing nothing to stop them. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . 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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. galatasaray leeds death - Sercano TV "We did amazing business in one hour. 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. In the weeks after the deaths, he offered them emotional and financial assistance (the family declined to take any money) and would phone Susan regularly to keep in touch. 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. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. I feel sorry for her, George says. Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen. [12] However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence. I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. [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. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. Even so, the counterargument holds water. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". How the violence started is unclear. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. There was nothing you could say to him. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. 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. Later in the evening, a group of around 20 Leeds supporters broke off and found their way to the Riddim bar near Taksim Square, the huge expanse in the centre of Istanbul which was filled with places to eat and drink. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. "It's just a bit of a rollercoaster ride really but we get by," he said. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. They knew there had been trouble but the club made an effort to hold back some detail on the basis that if the game went ahead, they would need to concentrate on it. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? 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. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. David Davies, the Football Association's executive director, called it "frankly, the least worst option". Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support. Both had numerous other wounds. The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. Youre a kid. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. "There's a lot of anger. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. 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. [30] In total, nineteen people were injured and sixty people were arrested,[27] with 15 of the arrested being subsequently banned from attending Euro 2000. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. [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. In May 2002 Demir, who admitted the stabbings, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with four other men imprisoned for three months each. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. It was completely against your idea of law and order. 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. 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. Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. They stressed as delicately as they could the importance of staying indoors. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. 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. Galatasaray - Detailed squad 22/23 | Transfermarkt Early relaxation gave way to brutal battle as rivals taunted each other, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. Try a week on us. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. Speight and Loftus were not close friends but knew each other in passing, as travelling football fans do. In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. Away tickets were limited to 80, which effectively covered only senior Galatasaray officials. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. [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. I jumped in a taxi and went back to Taksim Square., He has no recollection of how he came to be at Taksim Hospital, only that he found himself there after being told that the fighting had been serious. 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. But from 10.30pm local time, any sense of complacency seemed tragically misplaced, as a brutal battle began between Leeds supporters and a group of Turks, with running fights in the streets. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. I just said to them, Good luck., Galatasarays reputation went before them. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. 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. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". 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. It was how away days in Europe played out. You mention him over Farsley way and people respect him. 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. BBC News | EUROPE | Turkey still angry over fans' behaviour When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? Leeds fans RAGING at Ezgjan Alioski transfer links to Galatasaray [21] This lasted 20 minutes[19] before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs[22] and tear gas. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. 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. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. Those killed were "attackers", it said. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. When the Turkish club flew over for the return leg two weeks later, an occasion as venomous and bitter as any Elland Road has hosted, they railed against Ridsdales request that their fans be banned from travelling. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. A lot of what went on I dont want to know. Exclusive: Leeds icon Martyn on 21st anniversary of Galatasaray murders By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; a huge occasion for the club in a football sense, Ridsdale says. 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. "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.". 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.. 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. Every year, the families of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus place wreathes at the plaque and go together for a drink, to catch up and reflect. galatasaray leeds death. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. Loftus had already been pronounced dead and in the melee, hospital staff mistakenly assumed Ridsdale was a relative and took him downstairs to the mortuary. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. My mum just felt she had to move on. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. The images of that never grow old. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been.