I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. Then you turn around and Kevin and Chris are lying there., In the hospitals waiting area, Andy overheard a voice saying that one of the fatalities was one of the four brothers. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes in April 2000 at 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. My mum just felt she had to move on. 'There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. 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. 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[36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. 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. As. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. And it is far too late to redress that now. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. BBC News | EUROPE | Turkey still angry over fans' behaviour Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. My dad is ex-World Cup star and BBC pundit but I want glory in a Im not sure Ive even processed it now. The Turkish police didnt give a shit about us. They carried beer glasses outside, we couldn't stop them, and others followed." Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. 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. [2] The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. 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. 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. "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. "We came out of a bar and there were 100 people waiting for us with machetes, knives, bits of chair and table legs and they just attacked us. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. He was eight when the deaths occurred and he was 25 when he came to England as a professional. One Love was a controlled situation. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. Your choice, the official replied. [29], In all, four people were stabbed during the riots: two English, one Turkish and one Dutch fan. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. So Leeds did. Bowyer leads out the Leeds team as the first leg went ahead (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images), A minutes silence is observed before the return leg at Elland Road (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images). OFFICIAL DONATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE VICTIMS OF EARTHQUAKE MORE. As chairman of Leeds, he told the UEFA official that it would make sense to postpone the first leg of the semi-final which Leeds and Galatasaray were about to play. Disgusting. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. Even then, it was meant to be closed to the press but loads of them were there and they were being really intrusive, Fallows says. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. It didnt sit right with me. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. The facilities are great. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". 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. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. In May 2002 Demir, who admitted the stabbings, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with four other men imprisoned for three months each. 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. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! 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 . Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots - Wikipedia More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. 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. [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. 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. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. 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. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. I just said to them, Good luck., Galatasarays reputation went before them. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. Leeds fans RAGING at Ezgjan Alioski transfer links to Galatasaray Thats just how the system worked. 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? At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. Has to be the biggest DO NOT for any Leeds player!! Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds' Uefa Cup semi-final tie against Galatasaray in April 2000. But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. Staff said many fans were drunk by 10pm, intimidating Turkish families drinking in the lounge. I got a lot of abuse for that and no wonder. Galatasaray fans entered the area shortly afterwards which precipitated a fight between the two sets of supporters. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. 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. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. Leeds fans furious as Alioski's move to Galatasaray nears completion [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". She knows who he was but its not the same.. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. Massive riots Galatasaray - Leeds / Arsenal 2000 - YouTube Through different eyes and different viewpoints, a picture built up of the disregard and indifference with which they had been treated by those they looked to for help. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. 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. Turk admits stabbing murdered Leeds fan | Soccer | The Guardian "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. Read about our approach to external linking. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. 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. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. It was how away days in Europe played out. Football authorities condemned the riots and threatened to expel national football teams from European competition if such events happened again. It is regarded as a significant act of betrayal by many fans for a Leeds player to join Galatasaray. 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. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. I genuinely feared for our lives. That is true. No one meant for it to happen. After travelling to the Turkish capital to follow the club, Mr Speight and Mr Loftus were attacked with machetes when a row broke out between rival fans. But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. Harry Kewell - Wikipedia Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. [24] It was claimed that the police failed to control the riots,[43] and that they had been undermanned and outmaneuvered, to which Mogens Lauridsen, the police chief in Copenhagen admitted that the police had been "under-prepared". 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. [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. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. Send any friend a story. 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. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. 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. 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. galatasaray leeds death - Sercano TV Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell The stadium is stuck in a state of eerie silence but this Sunday it will do what it always does on April 5 by standing in salute to the two who were lost. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. Football riots in City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark (May 2000). Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. No question.. British fans were outnumbered and chased up side streets. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. [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 leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. He had been in touch with the Turkish authorities, and with Chief Superintendent Steve Matthews from West Yorkshire police, who travels abroad with Leeds fans on away trips, and his team of three or four officers acting as "spotters". Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. My mum flicked it straight off again. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. 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. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. Leeds fans RAGING at Ezgjan Alioski transfer links to Galatasaray UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. "We did amazing business in one hour. 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. 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. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Bitexen Giresunspor 0 - 4 Galatasaray MORE. We looked up the steps and all you could see at the top was the dark sky and riot shields around the entrance to the pitch. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. I respect the Loftuses for fighting, 100 per cent. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. 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 Will Griffee For Mailonline They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? [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. Away tickets were limited to 80, which effectively covered only senior Galatasaray officials. He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. 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. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. And worse things too. A streetwise Mancunian, he has looked after Oasis, Noel Gallagher and Take That and on the morning when we speak hes at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, organising staff for a gig by The Script. I dont know why.. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. 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. He described the Turkish policing as diabolical and out of control. [44], In the United Kingdom, the Daily Mirror newspaper printed pictures of Arsenal fans alleged to have been part of the violence. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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. 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. For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. "They came into town to see. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. A couple of lads came back to the hotel on their own and when I asked where the rest of them were, they didnt know. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray supporters prior to the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2000. 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 had no idea where we were going or why we were going there, he says. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? Its a strange thing but its important to me. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. I was amazed, he says. There is very little about the football which Ridsdale cares to remember and at the 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. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. 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