[17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. The plaque on the wall by Elland Roads East Stand says Never Forgotten and Leeds United swore themselves to those words. 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. 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. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. 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 police claim he was punched. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. I think you just go into a downward spiral. And I still blame myself a lot.. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. 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. 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". They just looked at me like I was stupid.. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. There was nothing you could say to him. galatasaray leeds death. Ali Umit . According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. Who really cares?. 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. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . Hed just met a girl. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. 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. The police were doing nothing to stop them. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support. 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). Speight was with a group of Leeds fans attacked by Turkish locals outside a bar by Istanbuls Taksim Square, sustaining a slash wound to his stomach. [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. No one meant for it to happen. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. The passing of time is there in all of them. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. Anywhere else in Europe, I doubt it would have been played. 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. [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. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. 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. [47] Michael Doherty, the chairman of the Communication Workers Union, and his brother Tom took Royal Mail to an Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal claiming they had been acting in self-defence. It wasnt a proper A&E unit. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. 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? [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. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. ", "They came to kill; Turk fans arm for war", "Arsenal worried about hooligans at UEFA Cup", "First class thugs; Postmen are caught in Copenhagen football rampage", "Post Office refuses to reinstate worker", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2000_UEFA_Cup_Final_riots&oldid=1113653919, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 October 2022, at 15:57. 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. [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. Grieving Leeds Faces Galatasaray Rematch : It Is a Matter of Life Or Death, Sometimes. 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. And worse things too. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 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. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. Leeds had taken over an entire corridor at the five-star Kempinski and the squad were in their rooms, ready to sleep ahead of the game the next night. 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. And thats without even mentioning what had gone on the night before with the two lads who were killed. 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. 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. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. lisa left eye zodiac sign Search. He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. Speight and Loftus were not close friends but knew each other in passing, as travelling football fans do. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I went off the rails, he says. [41] It was noted by Turkish newspaper, Radikal that cannabis was being freely traded in the city square during the time before the riots, and the police did nothing about it. 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. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. My sympathy was with them. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. 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. . The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. 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. 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. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". They carried beer glasses outside, we couldn't stop them, and others followed." Those killed were "attackers", it said. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. 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. George is different. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. [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. ', By
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. The images of that never grow old. 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. Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. I feel sorry for her, George says. I genuinely feared for our lives. 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. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". I didnt want to do it either. ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. 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. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. 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. Everything happened in a flash. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. 2023 BBC. [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. George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. But it was common sense. Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 A fortnight ago, Ridsdale was voted onto the EFLs board. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. But eventually the issue of what to do about the game had to be addressed. Jesus. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. Its a strange thing but its important to me. 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. They will never be forgotten.. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. 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. 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. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. 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. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . It takes a certain amount of nerve to put a foot in both camps, which is doubtless why Harry Kewell was able to do so in 2008 when he left Liverpool for the Ali Sami Yen. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Both had numerous other wounds. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. [21] This lasted 20 minutes[19] before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs[22] and tear gas. 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. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. He liked a drink and a laugh, simple as that, Andy says. 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. 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. 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. Its completely different. 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.
St Andrew The Apostle Parish Charleroi Pa,
Award Headquarters Po Box 318 Crystal Lake Il,
Articles G
