I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. I thought about Graeme Souness running and planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of the pitch at Fenerbahce. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. They had no direct contact with Galatasarays security officials but Fallows and Harry Stokoe, Leedss stadium manager, were able to visit the Ali Sami Yen the day before the game to map the venue out. You ask them one by one if 20 years have helped them process what happened. [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. 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). The eggs were massive and I was chuffed to bits with mine, he says. Everything happened in a flash. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. By that stage he was exhausted. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. Looking at it from where the fans were standing, Id have been as angry as them. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. No one meant for it to happen. 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". on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. As chairman of Leeds, he told the UEFA official that it would make sense to postpone the first leg of the semi-final which Leeds and Galatasaray were about to play. [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. The authorities imposed sentences on some of those who had originally escaped justice with Suleyman Gokhan Guven, Ali Baydar and Yilmaz Tutus given ten, six and five years in prison respectively. And worse things too. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. Anyone can read what . Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. 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 know what he did for us.. . [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. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. 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. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. Football authorities condemned the riots and threatened to expel national football teams from European competition if such events happened again. I respect the Loftuses for fighting, 100 per cent. [35] In response, Prime Minister Tony Blair stated: Hopefully this threat will bring to their senses anyone tempted to continue the mindless thuggery that had brought such shame to the country.[35]. 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. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. 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. Youre a kid. 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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. 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. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. 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. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. I was amazed, he says. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. A Galatasaray player who endorsed a set of knives as Leeds United paid tribute to fans fatally stabbed before a game against his club has apologised. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. That is true. 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. [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. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. For me, it didnt feel real. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; "a huge occasion for the club in a football sense," Ridsdale says. [34] The Copenhagen riots followed a long line of similar events involving English football fans, and in June, UEFA's executive committee listed the Heysel Stadium disaster, disorders in Charleroi and Brussels, the killing of the two Leeds fans in Istanbul, and the Copenhagen riots and warned the British government that if there was any more rioting then England would be expelled from Euro 2000. The police had prior warning of potential trouble and deployed 2,000 officers to the area, yet they were unable to control the riot until they fired tear gas. We could only do what we thought was best at that moment. The journey to the stadium prior to kick-off made him wish he had forfeited it and taken the consequences. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. The images of that never grow old. We catch up at the cafe in an Asda store near his home in Killingbeck and he speaks bravely but reluctantly; not because he wants to but because he thinks he should, for the sake of his brother Chriss memory. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. Those killed were "attackers", it said. 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. Eddie Gray is crouching down as he runs up from underground and into the open air. The connection was not comparable to Kewells. [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. Obviously he liked his football too. After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Devastated., The next 24 hours were a blur. The way the police and the authorities were with us. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. Thats just how the system worked. 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. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. Without his help, my mum would have been a bit lost, George says. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. 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. This led to 19 injuries, including 4 stabbings, and 60 arrests with similar events occurring in England and Turkey in the aftermath of the riots. 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. [30] A Danish police officer[22] and a Turkish cameraman were also injured in the riots. Everything was muddled. According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. 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. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. 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. The passing of time is there in all of them. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. But the Leeds fans do not see it that way. It was horrible. One Love was a controlled situation. 2023 BBC. A lot of what the police were doing was pure intimidation, Fallows says. They have nothing but good words for Ridsdales conduct and nothing but gratitude for his support. 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. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. 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. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! Within minutes, a pitched battle erupted. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. [22] The riots did not spread to the stadium, although there was an attempt to pull down the fences by fans heading towards the Arsenal area of the stadium before police stopped them. Bowyer leads out the Leeds team as the first leg went ahead (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images), A minutes silence is observed before the return leg at Elland Road (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images). Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. Surprise me? Right up to the attack, I didnt see any trouble. Other fans in Istanbul spoke of isolated incidents here and there but nothing serious. 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. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 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. I had no idea where we were going or why we were going there, he says. Theyd turned on their tellies and it was all over the Turkish news, Fallows says. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. He just happened to run into some tossers with knives., George was so young that the aftermath almost strayed into boyhood adventure. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. The Loftus family gave up on campaigning for justice in Turkey because they did not think the system cared about them. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. I didnt want to be standing there telling them what to do and I understood that they didnt want to hear it. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. Holmes was there and witnessed the entire away end turning their backs to the pitch with arms raised, an act of silent defiance and dissent. Several fans offered to foot the bill. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. They had been a couple since their teens. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. 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. 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. She remarried and shes carried on with her life but its still there, every time you come up to my dads birthday or the anniversary. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? Read about our approach to external linking. Will Griffee For Mailonline 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. I didnt want to do it either. They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. 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. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". A group of rival fans gathered and jeers were exchanged. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. Even so, the counterargument holds water. 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. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye.
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