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. "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 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. [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. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. 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? Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. So Leeds did. The way the police and the authorities were with us. 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. A Galatasaray player who endorsed a set of knives as Leeds United paid tribute to fans fatally stabbed before a game against his club has apologised. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. Thats just how the system worked. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. Demir was allowed to undertake national service with the Turkish military before being convicted for a second time in June 2007 and sentenced to 80 months. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. [19] The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". [29], In all, four people were stabbed during the riots: two English, one Turkish and one Dutch fan. You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. Because I was so young and the memories arent clear, I get times when I ask myself if it really happened. Holly, as a two-year-old, was left with no memories at all. 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. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. 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. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. He had been up all night receiving news of the stabbings, inflicted during violence which broke out on the eve of a UEFA Cup tie between Leeds and Galatasaray. 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. My sympathy was with them. Andy got a pint at the bar. The away crowd emptied after Rangers late equaliser without realising what had unfolded inside the ground. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. galatasaray leeds deathashtoreth worship practices. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans . 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. I genuinely feared for our lives. He has a busy job as an electrician and a twinkle in his eye. I know bits and bats but it doesnt help me to go over it, he says. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. The families of the victims will tell you that. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. 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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. 15:32 EST 23 Mar 2021. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. [4], It was not clear how the fight started, with reports of it either being started by Leeds fans throwing beer glasses and insulting the Turkish flag,[5] or being started by Galatasaray fans throwing chairs. I was so pleased to get on the plane out of Turkey but once I got back and thought about things, the reality of two lads dying out there got to me. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. 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 it was common sense. ', By 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. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. Football authorities condemned the riots and threatened to expel national football teams from European competition if such events happened again. He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. 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. 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. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. UEFA, after a week of consideration, agreed with Leeds. Football riots in City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark (May 2000). That is true. 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. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. A few hours later two Leeds supporters, Kevin Speight, 40, and Christopher Loftus, 37, were dead from stab wounds. 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. It was totally deliberate. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. galatasaray leeds death. You mention him over Farsley way and people respect him. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. In 2014 he was spoken to by a Turkish website, a free man again. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. [31] Nineteen of the arrested were British, thirty-six were Turkish and the rest of the arrested included people from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. 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. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. 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. Give our social media channels a follow . We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. Everything was muddled. It didnt sit right with me. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. 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. galatasaray leeds death. He was eight when the deaths occurred and he was 25 when he came to England as a professional. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. British fans were outnumbered and chased up side streets. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. I dont know why.. The passing of time is there in all of them. 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'. [23] The violence, which included fans from other English clubs[24] and Turks living in Denmark,[25] lasted for 45 minutes. "They came into town to see. 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. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. 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. The shadow of Istanbul is longer for Andy Loftus. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. Wed spoken about doing something beforehand, he says. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. 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. 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. They know what he did for us.. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. 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. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. Speight and Loftus were not close friends but knew each other in passing, as travelling football fans do. 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. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. 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. They all say no. The brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. The slit-throat gestures from fans as we arrived on the bus. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. Welcome to Hell, Galatasaray liked to say. 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 then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. So Leeds did. 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. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. [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. Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. 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. It is unobtrusive and reads simply: In memory of Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight who died tragically in Istanbul, April 5th 2000. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. Wesley Sneijder, a Dutch international who . Both had numerous other wounds. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". The facilities are great. Read about our approach to external linking. Send any friend a story. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. 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My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. 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. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. 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 . After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. But the Leeds fans do not see it that way. Its 20 years now but I dont think Ill ever get over it. [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. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. Ridsdale was told by staff at the hospital that Speight was in a critical condition and needed an urgent transfusion but that the blood had to be paid for. 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 [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. 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Galatasaray fans attempted to provoke the Arsenal fans in the bars, and the two sides began chanting at each other until bottles were thrown from both sides around 16:00. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. It was a load of shit. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. 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. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. [26] There were further clashes at the airport the day after the game. Andy is one of six siblings, two sisters and four brothers, and all of the boys Phil, Chris, Darren and Andy made the trip to Turkey. Witnesses said he had been bludgeoned by police as he cradled a dying Chris in the street. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located.

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