It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". BBC News | EUROPE | Turkey still angry over fans' behaviour 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. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. 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. 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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. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. 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. Andy got a pint at the bar. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. 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. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). So Leeds did. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. Thats what they were, kids. 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. The 2000 UEFA Cup Final Riots, also known as the Battle of Copenhagen,[1] were a series of riots in City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark between fans of English football team Arsenal and Turkish team Galatasaray around the 2000 UEFA Cup Final on 17 May 2000. I like that they remember him. Football and Leedss financial collapse made Ridsdale persona non grata at Elland Road but George says his mums face lit up when she heard that he was being interviewed for this article. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. 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. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. We tried to keep a lot of the information about what had happened [to Speight and Loftus] from them, rightly or wrongly. 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. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. "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.". He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Its 20 years now but I dont think Ill ever get over it. 12/02/2021 . But it was common sense. 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence - Wikipedia Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 [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]. 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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). Its the most terrified Ive ever been, he says. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. It was weird because when we got in the car, the game (Galatasaray versus Leeds) had just started and was on the radio, Andy says. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! 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. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. 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. 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. 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. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. galatasaray leeds death. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. Jesus. A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. I say that as someone who was back at his hotel when the stabbings occurred, he would be one of the last people to blame. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. With CCTV evidence, four men were indicted for murder within a week, including Ali Umit Demir, at whose flat the police found a knife stained with the blood of both victims. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. In its opinion, contesting the game was the least worst option. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. Further information on the Istanbul violence: "Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell", "16 Hardcore Hooligan Firms, Ultras Groups We Wouldn't Want to Mess with", "Soldiers join hooligans to attack Turks in Cup clash", "Town in fear as drunken English pour in", "Arsenal-Galatasaray, sous le signe de la violence", "English, Turkish fans clash on eve final", "Copenhagen police overrun as soccer fans cause mayhem", "Folkefest endte i vold og masseslagsml", "Surprise attack by Arsenal fans seeking revenge sparked battle", "Violence erupts again as English and Turkish football fans riot in Copenhagen", "Danish police fear more brawls after European soccer final", "Violence overshadows historic soccer victory", "Charleroi lobby yet to learn lessons of Heysel", "Turkish and English fans clash at airport", "Galatasaray Wins UEFA Cup After Day of Rioting by Fans", "England told: more rioting and you're out", "Piers Morgan On Arsenal, Foreign Ownership and Twitter Rants", "SPORTS - The shadow on the UEFA Cup triumph", "How long until Turk fans cause another death on the pitch? He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. 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. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. 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. [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. Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. It sunk in quickly once we got home. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 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. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. 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). 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. I dont want to imply criticism of the hospital for that, Ridsdale says. 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. 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.". Harry Kewell - Wikipedia His financial record at Leeds was dismal and Leeds never forget about it. The story goes that he and his wife Susan got together after he offered her a lift on the back of one. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". 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. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. 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. 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. People know me because of my dad, he says. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. 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. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. [40], The Danish police were also criticised for their handling of the riots. [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. According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. [2] He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how Galatasaray dealt with that tragedy By Phil Hay Jul 24, 2021 In the early hours of the morning after the death of two Leeds. 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 plaque on the wall by Elland Roads East Stand says Never Forgotten and Leeds United swore themselves to those words. For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. [17] This came after Arsenal had warned the police before the final that there could be hooligans travelling to Copenhagen.
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