As. "It's just a bit of a rollercoaster ride really but we get by," he said. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. galatasaray leeds death They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. 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. Leeds Crown Court sentenced him to 12 months. Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder apologises to Leeds fans over knife set 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. [31] Nineteen of the arrested were British, thirty-six were Turkish and the rest of the arrested included people from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. They know what he did for us.. Given that context and these examples only really scratch the surface of everything that happened in April 2000 there was no way in which a player like Gjanni Alioski could consider leaving Leeds and joining Galatasaray, as he did for many months, without bracing himself for a tense political path and the objection he encountered online. Its a game. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. I was amazed, he says. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. Those April nights were as close as Leeds will get to it. [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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. It shows all personal information about the players, including age, nationality, contract duration and market value. Read about our approach to external linking. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. BBC News | EUROPE | Turkey still angry over fans' behaviour 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. In the circumstances, it was a total irrelevance and too highly-charged. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. It sunk in quickly once we got home. zhuri james net worth 2021 / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Read about our approach to external linking. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. [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. After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. It was obvious that Galatasaray were making no concession for what had taken place, so that was our form of protest. But eventually the issue of what to do about the game had to be addressed. [10] It was reported that members of Leeds United's Leeds United Service Crew[11] and Chelsea's Chelsea Headhunters, along with hooligans supporting Rangers, Cardiff City and Swansea City all travelled to Denmark to join Arsenal fans in attacks on Galatasaray fans. We tried to raise awareness but it was a farce. 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. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. 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). Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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. 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. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. People speak well of him. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. 15:32 EST 23 Mar 2021. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". Leeds fans furious as Alioski's move to Galatasaray nears completion Galatasaray wanted me from the start. The Turkish police didnt give a shit about us. I feel everything: anger, sadness. "They came into town to see. Me and the security team tried to create a bit of a cushion between them so the players werent worried about getting batoned, Fallows says. 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. It was a load of shit. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item #respect. 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. Any time I think about what happened, I ask the same question. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. 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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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. 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. On each trip he would set up a desk in the corridor where the team were staying, a point of contact in case of any problems. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. It is unobtrusive and reads simply: In memory of Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight who died tragically in Istanbul, April 5th 2000. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. , updated The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans . The eggs were massive and I was chuffed to bits with mine, he says. "We did amazing business in one hour. Life is good. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. 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. Outside, Leeds fans reportedly taunted Turkish men. There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. 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. 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 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. We werent talking about Leeds General Infirmary. Speights treatment failed to save him. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. Leeds and Galatasaray have an extremely volatile relationship following the death of two Leeds supporters prior to the UEFA CUp semi-final back in 2000. 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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. They ordered us to pump up the volume, so we did," said Mr Dedeler, 24. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? Fallows is convinced that Galatasaray and the Turkish police made deliberate attempts to rattle and unsettle away teams, forcing players to squeeze through tight lines of officers to gain entry to the ground and admitting thousands of home fans to the stadium hours before kick-off. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. 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. 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". "They were using very bad language," said Abdul Garlad, a manager. Welcome to Hell, Galatasaray liked to say. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. 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. SOCCER; Amid Heightened Security, Galatasaray Defeats Leeds [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. [17] This came after Arsenal had warned the police before the final that there could be hooligans travelling to Copenhagen. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. You dont get it.. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes 21 years agoat 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Demir was allowed to undertake national service with the Turkish military before being convicted for a second time in June 2007 and sentenced to 80 months. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. As a family, I dont know how you come to terms with that., Inside the Ali Sami Yen, hundreds of Leeds supporters attended the first leg as planned and were housed in a small section of yellow seats. 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. [44], In the United Kingdom, the Daily Mirror newspaper printed pictures of Arsenal fans alleged to have been part of the violence.
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