I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. 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 . Both had numerous other wounds. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. 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. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. Leeds supporters who were present denied causing trouble and the UK coroner who presided over the inquest, David Hinchliff, stated in unequivocal terms that Speight and Loftus were the innocent victims of a deliberate ambush. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. Eddie Gray is crouching down as he runs up from underground and into the open air. [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. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 You dont get it.. He just happened to run into some tossers with knives., George was so young that the aftermath almost strayed into boyhood adventure. I didnt want to do it either. 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. 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. Wed spoken about doing something beforehand, he says. 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. 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. Ill be careful here but I have to say that I felt uncomfortable welcoming Galatasarays delegates to Elland Road. Anyone can read what . [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. 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. The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. Read about our approach to external linking. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. [12] However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence. It is regarded as a significant act of betrayal by many fans for a Leeds player to join Galatasaray. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. "I haven't seen a single Englishman all day," said a newspaper vendor. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". Fri 7 Apr 2000 20.36 EDT. People speak well of him. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic.. As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Melbourne Victory, Al-Gharafa and Melbourne Heart. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. In the first leg it was difficult to say, Lets get out there do it for the two lads because we didnt have the full picture, Gray says. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. SOCCER; Amid Heightened Security, Galatasaray Defeats Leeds They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". Grieving Leeds Faces Galatasaray Rematch : It Is a Matter of Life Or ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. The police claim he was punched. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. 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 feel sorry for her, George says. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. We werent talking about Leeds General Infirmary. Speights treatment failed to save him. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. "They were screaming all sorts of things. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. [50] In 2012 Piers Morgan, the editor of the Daily Mirror at the time and a high-profile Arsenal fan who attended the match, apologised for printing the pictures. The brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. It was only when Gray arrived home that his parents asked if he was OK and told him about the many Rangers fans who had died. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. The Turkish. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. Man United respond to Leeds hostility with thrilling win as Harry This year is the 20th anniversary of the mens deaths in Istanbul and many of their relatives carry those events as if they happened yesterday. Galatasaray.org 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. Try a week on us. And I still blame myself a lot.. As. Those April nights were as close as Leeds will get to it. "Most were kind, but there were five or six really crazy guys. Past present or future..', A second added: 'Would much rather see one of the u23s get a chance at lb than Alioski for the rest of the season. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. [19] The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square. Those killed were "attackers", it said. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. Hed just met a girl. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. The police told us themselves that the shoe-shine boys had been trailing us for a while, waiting to see when some of us had split away from the main group.. Harry Kewell - Wikipedia Everything happened in a flash. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? My sympathy was with them. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. By How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. galatasaray leeds death - kikuyajp.com "We did amazing business in one hour. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . Four people were stabbed in the scuffles, which also involved fans from other clubs and were viewed by the media as part of a retaliation for the killing of two Leeds United fans by Galatasaray supporters the month before. The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how Even so, the counterargument holds water. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. Within minutes, a pitched battle erupted. But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. If someone could have shown me those levels of intimidation, Id have refused to play the game unhesitatingly. 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. 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. Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. [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. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. Peter Hunt, the British consul general in Istanbul, had been prepared for potential trouble, as are all consuls and embassies when English fans travel abroad. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. 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. 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. The families of the victims will tell you that. 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. 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. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. A week or so later, we lost 4-0 to Arsenal. 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. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. 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. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. No one meant for it to happen. People know me because of my dad, he says. Something went wrong, please try again later. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. 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'. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". Leeds fans furious as Alioski's move to Galatasaray nears completion Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. 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