Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Ridsdale said last year. I genuinely feared for our lives. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. SOCCER; Amid Heightened Security, Galatasaray Defeats Leeds They know what he did for us.. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. 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. 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. A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. He was on the scene as the club grieved and as much as any other of David OLearys players, he was in a position to fully comprehend both the impact of the killings and Galatasarays response to them. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. [23] The violence, which included fans from other English clubs[24] and Turks living in Denmark,[25] lasted for 45 minutes. [38] In Turkey, the media portrayed Galatasaray fans as acting in self-defence, with criticism directed at the British fans for allegedly attacking members of the press. 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. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were killed in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2000, Their deaths had left a "lasting impact" on their families, a former Leeds United chairman said. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. Its 20 years now but I dont think Ill ever get over it. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. They had been a couple since their teens. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. Leeds fans had planned to honour the memories of Speight and Loftus this weekend by holding up photos of the two murdered men at the home game with Blackburn Rovers. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. The police claim he was punched. When the Turkish club flew over for the return leg two weeks later, an occasion as venomous and bitter as any Elland Road has hosted, they railed against Ridsdales request that their fans be banned from travelling. There was nothing you could say to him. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. In its opinion, contesting the game was the least worst option. 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. 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. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. 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. ", "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. 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. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Youre a kid. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. 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. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. 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). Try a week on us. 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. 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 families of the victims will tell you that. The connection was not comparable to Kewells. By that stage he was exhausted. Turkish man jailed for stabbing deaths of Leeds fans 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. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. It was a load of shit. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. 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 police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. I went off the rails, he says. Galatasaray.org I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Risdale 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. And it is far too late to redress that now. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. Turk admits stabbing murdered Leeds fan | Soccer | The Guardian The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. 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. galatasaray leeds death - kikuyajp.com 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. Squad Galatasaray This page displays a detailed overview of the club's current squad. The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. 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. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. They knew there had been trouble but the club made an effort to hold back some detail on the basis that if the game went ahead, they would need to concentrate on it. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. Football authorities condemned the riots and threatened to expel national football teams from European competition if such events happened again. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. 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. He has a busy job as an electrician and a twinkle in his eye. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. 2023 BBC. 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. 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". Alioski defended amid Leeds fans' fury over Galatasaray transfer links Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. 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. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . 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. 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. My dad is ex-World Cup star and BBC pundit but I want glory in a Will Griffee For Mailonline [10] It was reported that members of Leeds United's Leeds United Service Crew[11] and Chelsea's Chelsea Headhunters, along with hooligans supporting Rangers, Cardiff City and Swansea City all travelled to Denmark to join Arsenal fans in attacks on Galatasaray fans. 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. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. 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. By "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". 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. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. [30] A Danish police officer[22] and a Turkish cameraman were also injured in the riots. 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. Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. 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 . Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? As. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. galatasaray leeds death. I feel sorry for her, George says. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. Chelsea 1-0 Leeds LIVE: Blues finally find the breakthrough as Wesley Fofana heads home the opener in the second half in a game Graham Potter really needs to win as Brighton and Aston Villa . A fortnight ago, Ridsdale was voted onto the EFLs board. Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray supporters with murder. There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. My mum flicked it straight off again. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. Within minutes, a pitched battle erupted. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 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. [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. It was how away days in Europe played out. 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. Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder launches knife range - mirror 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. UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. Leeds Crown Court sentenced him to 12 months. Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. Devastated., The next 24 hours were a blur. 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. [3] Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? 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. 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. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. #RIPChrisAndKev. 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. 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.