At a local police station, at around 4am on April 6, Ridsdale was given a stark message by the UEFA representative who turned up there: play the game, or forfeit it and incur an automatic 3-0 defeat. The interview included vague expressions of regret but no apology to Speight and Loftus or their relatives. No one meant for it to happen. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. But it was common sense. 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. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. [39] Later on, British media blame also transferred towards Galatasaray fans. Both had numerous other wounds. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. 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. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. [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. 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. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. 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). Gray, a Glaswegian, was in the Celtic end with his wife Linda on the day of the Ibrox disaster in 1971. 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? The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. 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 . Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. What they were seeing was pretty graphic so we said to them, Turn the tellies off, go to bed and wait for us to get some proper details. The footage was grainy and frightening, capturing a helpless Loftus with bloodstains on his shirt. 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. Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. Galatasaray fans entered the area shortly afterwards which precipitated a fight between the two sets of supporters. The 45-year-old was an unused sub when Leeds were defeated by Galatasaray in an infamous 1999-00 Uefa Cup semi-finals - a match that was overshadowed by the death of two Yorkshire fans in the . In May 2002 Demir, who admitted the stabbings, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with four other men imprisoned for three months each. It might be fair to say that the events of 2000 are a reason to dissuade a footballer with ties to Leeds from engaging with Galatasaray but not necessarily to prohibit him from signing, especially as time goes by. I heard the rumours that some Leeds fan wiped his arse with a Turkey flag and things like that but people tell me none of its true. 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. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. The cause of the fighting which broke out after dark in Istanbul was a subject of fierce contention in the weeks after the stabbings. 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. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. Something went wrong, please try again later. They will never be forgotten.. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. [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. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. Away tickets were limited to 80, which effectively covered only senior Galatasaray officials. The passing of time is there in all of them. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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. Try a week on us. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. 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 kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. 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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. He can picture the facade as he entered and the floorplan of the area where other injured Leeds fans had congregated; where Speight lay on an operating table, desperate for surgery. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. Some headed for the James Joyce pub 200 metres away and joined a sing-song against Galatasaray. 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. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. The story goes that he and his wife Susan got together after he offered her a lift on the back of one. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. 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. [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 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. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. 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. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. 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. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". [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]. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . People speak well of him. [14] The Arsenal fans left the bar to confront the Galatasaray fans, which led to a fight lasting for an hour before riot police managed to control it and arrested four Britons and four Turks. My mum always says the same: Hed gone out there for the football, nothing else. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. I feel everything: anger, sadness. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. 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. Anyone can read what . Galatasaray football player Wesley Sneijder has released a commemorative knife set - on the 15th anniversary of the fatal stabbing of two Leeds fans by Turkish supporters. On the 21st anniversary of Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus' deaths on April 5 2000, Martyn also recalls the immediate reaction of the Leeds squad .
The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. [30] In total, nineteen people were injured and sixty people were arrested,[27] with 15 of the arrested being subsequently banned from attending Euro 2000. 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'. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. [16] Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". 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. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. A week or so later, we lost 4-0 to Arsenal. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. I just said to them, Good luck., Galatasarays reputation went before them. How the violence started is unclear. The first the Leeds players heard of the incident in Taksim Square was when phone calls started reaching them in their hotel. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. 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. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. But the Leeds fans do not see it that way. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. 12/02/2021 . Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. They stressed as delicately as they could the importance of staying indoors. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. 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. 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. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. 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. There is very little about the football which Ridsdale cares to remember and at the 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. Amid the fall-out and a world of shock in Leeds, Ridsdale suggested that the second leg at Elland Road would be safer without away fans. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. Its a game. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. A lot of what went on I dont want to know. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. 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. There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months.
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