He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. 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 It wasnt a proper A&E unit. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. Within an hour of the stabbings in central Istanbul, some of David OLearys squad emerged to speak to him. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable.. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? They felt we were overreacting. In all the many layers of anger, that was one of them; the apparent inability to adopt some common decency. A lot of what went on I dont want to know. He has never spoken about his memories of Turkey before but, like Andy Loftus, says he wants to reflect 20 years on. 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 brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured. I make no secret of that., Leeds were beaten 2-0 in Istanbul and lost over two legs after a 2-2 draw at home. 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. 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. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. It is unobtrusive and reads simply: In memory of Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight who died tragically in Istanbul, April 5th 2000. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. It sunk in quickly once we got home. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. [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. If someone could have shown me those levels of intimidation, Id have refused to play the game unhesitatingly. That decision drew much criticism, as well it might. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. Thats what they were, kids. 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. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. 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. 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. The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. Fans in nearby bars remained unaware of the violence. 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. #RIPChrisAndKev. The families of the victims will tell you that. 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. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. For players and supporters alike, this has become one of the most fraught and difficult venues in Europe. You dont get it.. [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 went off the rails, he says. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. [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. Its a game. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. galatasaray leeds death. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. He was eight when the deaths occurred and he was 25 when he came to England as a professional. "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. Leeds will on Saturday afternoon mark 15 years since the deaths of supporters Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, who were stabbed by a Galatasaray fan in April 2000. Will Griffee For Mailonline junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . My sympathy was with them. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item #respect. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. He liked a drink and a laugh, simple as that, Andy says. 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. [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. You got paid each month and you did this, Andy says, gesturing as if to push a wad of banknotes into a drawer. 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. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. George is different. My mum just felt she had to move on. His financial record at Leeds was dismal and Leeds never forget about it. My mum flicked it straight off again. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. 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. The images are so vivid in Peter Ridsdales mind that he can describe every aspect of the hospital where Speight and Loftus were taken after they were attacked. Friends and family of Speight and Loftus had congregated there and other Leeds fans were waiting with more minor injuries, some of them slash wounds. 12/02/2021 . 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. He died in an operating theatre in the early hours of the morning, despite Leeds United paying for blood supplies to be rushed to him. 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. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. Kewell grew up in Leeds academy and was in the starting line-up for both legs against Galatasaray. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. [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. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. My sisters had a word and told me to sort myself out. [29], In all, four people were stabbed during the riots: two English, one Turkish and one Dutch fan. In 2014 he was spoken to by a Turkish website, a free man again. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. 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. 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). Without his help, my mum would have been a bit lost, George says. Peter Ridsdale, the chairman who guided Leeds through the tragedy, is approaching 70. For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. Theyd been seeing each other for about six months.. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". No one meant for it to happen. 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. Early relaxation gave way to brutal battle as rivals taunted each other, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The set of knives, emblazoned with Galatasaray's colours, are produced by Dutch firm Senvi and are available for 22. Try a week on us. It was totally deliberate. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. Thats just how the system worked. 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. There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. Leeds Crown Court sentenced him to 12 months. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. But it was common sense. Others suggested a group of Leeds supporters had attacked a lone Turk, possibly a taxi driver, who had then returned with a mob wielding knives and machetes. 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. Galatasaray fans attempted to provoke the Arsenal fans in the bars, and the two sides began chanting at each other until bottles were thrown from both sides around 16:00. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. Try a week on us. UEFA, after a week of consideration, agreed with Leeds. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. 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. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Later in the evening, a group of around 20 Leeds supporters broke off and found their way to the Riddim bar near Taksim Square, the huge expanse in the centre of Istanbul which was filled with places to eat and drink. The Turkish. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. 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. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. [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. Anyone can read what . 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. So Leeds did. , updated 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 . 'There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. We had to say to them as clearly as we could, If you go into the streets, if you go out drinking, we cant tell you how dangerous itll be. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. Twenty Leeds fans, witnesses to the fight, were interviewed. 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. Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. "They came into town to see. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. They had been a couple since their teens. He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to. 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. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. No question.. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. Ridsdale agreed to send his wife and other officials back but instructed a car to take him and Spencer to Taksim Hospital. 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. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. CATEGORIES . 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 . 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. . My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. 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.
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