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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? 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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? The police claim he was punched. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. 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]. 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. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. So Leeds did. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. 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.. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. 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. I think you just go into a downward spiral. David Davies, the Football Association's executive director, called it "frankly, the least worst option". on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. Witnesses said he had been bludgeoned by police as he cradled a dying Chris in the street. 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. The connection was not comparable to Kewells. They had been a couple since their teens. 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. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. 15:32 EST 23 Mar 2021. "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.". "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. 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. 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. A week or so later, we lost 4-0 to Arsenal. [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. Surprise me? But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. Its completely different. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". Staff said many fans were drunk by 10pm, intimidating Turkish families drinking in the lounge. George is different. 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. 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. Its a strange thing but its important to me. When we got to the bottom of the stairs they pulled out a drawer, a bit like a filing cabinet, and Christophers body was there. That decision drew much criticism, as well it might. Tuesday 5th April 2022 marks 22 years since two loyal Leeds United supporters, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, travelled to Turkey to watch their beloved team in action but tragically never returned home. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. It didnt sit right with me. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. You dont get it.. Life is good. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. It was how away days in Europe played out. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. 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". So Leeds did. 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. 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. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. And I still blame myself a lot.. You mention him over Farsley way and people respect him. 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 Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. Some claimed the English sparked it by throwing beer glasses at passing women pedestrians. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. 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It is unobtrusive and reads simply: In memory of Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight who died tragically in Istanbul, April 5th 2000. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. 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. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". 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. 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 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. [38] The photos led to some postmen working for Royal Mail losing their jobs because they had been seen in the photos and in television coverage,[46] even though they had not been arrested. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Both had numerous other wounds. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. 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. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. But eventually the issue of what to do about the game had to be addressed. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. 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. [15] In the fight, Paul Dineen, an Arsenal fan, was stabbed, leading to Arsenal offering fans refunds if they did not want to fly to the game. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. We had hundreds of fans in Turkey, some in the air and another plane due to fly the following morning (the morning flight out from Leeds-Bradford Airport was rapidly cancelled). Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. , updated But it was common sense. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. 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. Theyd turned on their tellies and it was all over the Turkish news, Fallows says. I had joked with him and said, At least youll be safe. He gave me a look and said, Or maybe not., The attitude as far as I could see was, Lets intimidate these lads and see what happens. Leeds back then had a lot of kids in their squad. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. [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. ', By
[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. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. 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 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. 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. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. 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. Both families come here each April 5, to lay flowers and let another year pass.