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In the case of Loftus brother Andy, he prefers not to make a big deal of his surname for fear of the questions that might follow; the feeling of being always on show. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. Football authorities condemned the riots and threatened to expel national football teams from European competition if such events happened again. galatasaray leeds death. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. . They just looked at me like I was stupid.. Leeds supporters in Istanbul were told to stay in their hotels. The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. It was completely against your idea of law and order. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. "I haven't seen a single Englishman all day," said a newspaper vendor. The slit-throat gestures from fans as we arrived on the bus. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. The police claim he was punched. 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. The loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. 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. 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. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item #respect. Chris & Kevin - Never Forgotten - Leeds United 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. I didnt want to do it either. Leeds fans furious as Alioski's move to Galatasaray nears completion Exclusive: Leeds icon Martyn on 21st anniversary of Galatasaray murders Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. 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. 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. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. 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. Your choice, the official replied. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. 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. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. Try a week on us. 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.. A week or so later, we lost 4-0 to Arsenal. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. 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. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. 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. 2023 BBC. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. 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. Who really cares?. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. Every year, the families of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus place wreathes at the plaque and go together for a drink, to catch up and reflect. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. He wasnt one of them who tried to cause trouble. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. The first I knew of it was when they came out to tell me. The Loftuses fought for justice for as long as they could. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. [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. Galatasaray supporters, despite everything that had gone on, were pelting the buses and trying to smash the windows. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Rory Carroll in Istanbul and Martin Wainwright. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. 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. We tried to keep a lot of the information about what had happened [to Speight and Loftus] from them, rightly or wrongly. Fans in nearby bars remained unaware of the violence. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured. 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. "They were screaming all sorts of things. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. Leeds head of security at the game recalled police officers lining the corridors in Galatasarays ground as the players emerged from the dressing room; an attempt, in his eyes, to intimidate them as they prepared to go onto the pitch. [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. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were killed in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2000, Their deaths had left a "lasting impact" on their families, a former Leeds United chairman said. 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. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. [24] It was claimed that the police failed to control the riots,[43] and that they had been undermanned and outmaneuvered, to which Mogens Lauridsen, the police chief in Copenhagen admitted that the police had been "under-prepared". 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 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. 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 . [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. ', By [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. I was totally speechless, totally shocked. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. Anger: Leeds fans are angry that Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder has announced a new knife range on the 15th anniversary of the stabbing of two fans in Istanbul, Violence: An injured fan is taken away after riots between Leeds and Galatasaray fans before match in Turkey, Horror: A fan is escorted away from the violence by a police officer after riots between Leeds and Galatasaray fans. 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. Wed spoken about doing something beforehand, he says. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. I spent the whole night thinking, What are we doing here? And when the Leeds fans turned their backs to the pitch, total respect to them because the football meant nothing. The facilities are great. Menu As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. ', Some wrote stronger messages, such as: 'Washed my hands with Alioski if he f***s off to those vermin. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. 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. 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. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. For some of it we were relying on the police and the authorities without knowing if they were going to do the right things. Before England played Turkey in a European Championship qualifier in Istanbul in 2003, Englands staff got in touch with Fallows to ask for logistical advice. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. Something went wrong, please try again later. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. Its the most terrified Ive ever been, he says. The images of that never grow old. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. 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. SOCCER; Amid Heightened Security, Galatasaray Defeats Leeds His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, George and Holly Speight with Peter Ridsdale after their fathers death. In its opinion, contesting the game was the least worst option. 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. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. "It's just a bit of a rollercoaster ride really but we get by," he said. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. Read about our approach to external linking. Ill hear them saying, Thats Kevin Speights lad and I like that. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . Kevin Fallows was the clubs head of security and travelled with the players to all their fixtures in Europe. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. Confusion reigned. Read about our approach to external linking. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. 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. Loftus had already been pronounced dead and in the melee, hospital staff mistakenly assumed Ridsdale was a relative and took him downstairs to the mortuary. Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray supporters with murder. I didnt catch everything but I heard enough. 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. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. We had a coach for the players and a coach for the directors, he says. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. Disgusting. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. 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? When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? Leeds had worries on several fronts: maintaining the safety of other fans in the city, helping the relatives of Speight and Loftus in Turkey and at home, and deciding whether the game at the Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. 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.