We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. Twenty Leeds fans, witnesses to the fight, were interviewed. 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]. 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. And I still blame myself a lot.. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. 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. 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. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. [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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. 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. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. Give our social media channels a follow . 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. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". Association with the tragedy can be difficult. 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. galatasaray leeds death. I know bits and bats but it doesnt help me to go over it, he says. It was how away days in Europe played out. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. Read about our approach to external linking. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye. Istanbul was life and death and more than focusing on Alioski himself, the attention on him generated by the very prospect of a move to Turkey itself should make us ask why it was ever allowed to come to this; a horrific episode which offered no chance of peace or proper closure. I genuinely feared for our lives. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. 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. 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 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. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. For Leedss staff and players, the details of what had occurred in Taksim Square the night before remained sketchy until after full-time. Youre a kid. After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. But the Leeds fans do not see it that way. The images of that never grow old. Read about our approach to external linking. Life is good. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. I went off the rails, he says. [2] Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. [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. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. Its a strange thing but its important to me. 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. The plaque on the wall by Elland Roads East Stand says Never Forgotten and Leeds United swore themselves to those words. Spencer stepped in and paid with his personal credit card. The Danish police were also criticized for their mishandling of the riots. It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. Obviously he liked his football too. [17] This came after Arsenal had warned the police before the final that there could be hooligans travelling to Copenhagen. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. When the Turkish club flew over for the return leg two weeks later, an occasion as venomous and bitter as any Elland Road has hosted, they railed against Ridsdales request that their fans be banned from travelling. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes in April 2000 at 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". 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. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. Disgusting. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. 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. The only thing I could compare it to is the One Love concert in Manchester (held after the terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in 2017) and thats purely because of how difficult the logistics of One Love were, he says. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. 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. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. The brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. 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. [18] Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. They will never be forgotten.. 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. The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. 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.. [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. 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. 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. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. My sympathy was with them. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. Turkish eye-witnesses accused Leeds fans of insulting women, defacing the Turkish flag, urinating in the street and tipping over a car. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. . Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. They know what he did for us.. The Loftus family gave up on campaigning for justice in Turkey because they did not think the system cared about them. They had been a couple since their teens. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. 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. 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 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. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. 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. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. But eventually the issue of what to do about the game had to be addressed. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. I dont know why.. Galatasaray fans entered the area shortly afterwards which precipitated a fight between the two sets of supporters. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. How the violence started is unclear. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. Alioski had less of a cross to bear. When he arrived at the hospital, Darren was in a bed with head injuries. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy.
