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. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. [19] The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. He had a passion for Lambretta scooters and spent his spare time fixing old models in his mothers garden. 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. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. 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. Istanbul was life and death and more than focusing on Alioski himself, the attention on him generated by the very prospect of a move to Turkey itself should make us ask why it was ever allowed to come to this; a horrific episode which offered no chance of peace or proper closure. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. 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. And worse things too. Hed just met a girl. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous evening were rapidly sinking in and for those who were closest to it, the images wont fade. Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. 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. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. 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. Everything was muddled. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). Some Arsenal fans reacted negatively to the news, claiming that there was still bad blood between the two sets of supporters and were concerned that there would be a resumption of hostilities between them.[51]. [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. Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. 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Several fans offered to foot the bill. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. 2023 BBC. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The deaths of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus on the night before Leeds played their Uefa Cup semi-final first leg with Galatasaray - 20 years ago yesterday - represent one of the darkest and. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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 . 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. So Leeds did. [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. , updated Galatasaray wanted me from the start. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. 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. [21] This lasted 20 minutes[19] before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs[22] and tear gas. Galatasaray tragedy will stay with Leeds United and Eirik Bakke forever 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. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. 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 head of security at the game recalled police officers lining the corridors in Galatasarays ground as the players emerged from the dressing room; an attempt, in his eyes, to intimidate them as they prepared to go onto the pitch. galatasaray leeds death - kikuyajp.com We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. lisa left eye zodiac sign Search. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. [2] Its the most terrified Ive ever been, he says. The events of the day started early in the morning when skirmishes broke out in a bar, which led to an Arsenal fan being stabbed. 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. Leeds fans RAGING at Ezgjan Alioski transfer links to Galatasaray [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. 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. They stressed as delicately as they could the importance of staying indoors. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. Former Leeds United Chairman Peter Ridsdale said: "The lasting impact has been to see the devastating effect it's had on Christopher and Kevin's families. 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. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. I dont know why.. The slit-throat gestures from fans as we arrived on the bus. 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. "We did amazing business in one hour. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. Its a strange thing but its important to me. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. "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.". Youre a kid. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. Without his help, my mum would have been a bit lost, George says. The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. 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? Both families come here each April 5, to lay flowers and let another year pass. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. 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. Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. As. 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. Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Turk admits stabbing murdered Leeds fan | Soccer | The Guardian Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. 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. The set of knives, emblazoned with Galatasaray's colours, are produced by Dutch firm Senvi and are available for 22. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. 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. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. 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. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. The Turkish. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. I got a lot of abuse for that and no wonder. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. By
The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how You dont get it.. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. 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. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. Give our social media channels a follow . [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. It didnt sit right with me. "They came into town to see. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. 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. "I haven't seen a single Englishman all day," said a newspaper vendor. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. A lot of what the police were doing was pure intimidation, Fallows says. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. Andy was jailed in 2013 for his part in a fight between Leeds and Tottenham Hotspur fans in which a Spurs supporter was knocked unconscious. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. Alioski defended amid Leeds fans' fury over Galatasaray transfer links galatasaray leeds deathashtoreth worship practices. The only thing I could compare it to is the One Love concert in Manchester (held after the terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in 2017) and thats purely because of how difficult the logistics of One Love were, he says. 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. Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. Those April nights were as close as Leeds will get to it. We tried to raise awareness but it was a farce. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. 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. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. The away supporters responded with songs about two Leeds fans who were stabbed to death in Istanbul prior to a fixture against Galatasaray in 2000. . 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'. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. 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 passing of time is there in all of them. Man United respond to Leeds hostility with thrilling win as Harry Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. That is true. It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. 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. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. [12] However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. The story goes that he and his wife Susan got together after he offered her a lift on the back of one. She knows who he was but its not the same.. 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. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . 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. A week or so later, we lost 4-0 to Arsenal. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". One Love was a controlled situation. 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots - Wikipedia How the violence started is unclear. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence?
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. I didnt want to do it either. Confusion reigned. Menu But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. 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. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. 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. 12/02/2021 . Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. galatasaray leeds death on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. Something went wrong, please try again later. [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. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. Early relaxation gave way to brutal battle as rivals taunted each other, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The eggs were massive and I was chuffed to bits with mine, he says. galatasaray leeds death For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. The families of the victims will tell you that. Leeds fans RAGING at Ezgjan Alioski transfer links to Galatasaray 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. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. Turkish eye-witnesses accused Leeds fans of insulting women, defacing the Turkish flag, urinating in the street and tipping over a car. I knew the ramifications would be life-long., (Photo: Phil Noble PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images), 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.