galatasaray leeds death

[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 routine for Andy and others who went abroad with Leeds was always the same: straight to the hotel, straight into town, straight on the beer. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. 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. [18] Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. #RIPChrisAndKev. That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. They phoned their parents back home but the media had already informed them of Chriss death. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. Its a game. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. George is aware of some of the details but has tried not to dig too deeply. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. He was with Darren Loftus, Christopher's brother who had travelled with him, to identify his body. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. 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. . 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. [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. I dont want to imply criticism of the hospital for that, Ridsdale says. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. And thats without even mentioning what had gone on the night before with the two lads who were killed. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. The security guard who was in Turkey with the clubs players and directors is into his 50s and taking it easy after neck surgery. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". No question.. The pair were met by angry, upset and bewildered groups. The set of knives, emblazoned with Galatasaray's colours, are produced by Dutch firm Senvi and are available for 22. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; a huge occasion for the club in a football sense, Ridsdale says. Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. 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. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. "There was nothing in the days running up to this match to suggest there would be this level of violence," Mr Hunt said. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. 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. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. So Leeds did. The morning after Loftus and Speight were killed, Fallows and Stokoe were asked by Ridsdale to visit every hotel where the clubs supporters were staying. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. Sneijder's tweet has since been deleted and the midfielder sent a tweet to an angry fan stating: "Very sorry. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. People know me because of my dad, he says. 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. As a free agent, he had a decision to make about how best to look after himself with his 30th birthday coming next year (and in the end, looking after himself meant joining Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia last night). Our Daz was there and he told me the full story. Obviously he liked his football too. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. Christopher's brother was there [at the time of the incident] and I think that the impact on those two families can never be underestimated.". There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. Demir lost his last appeal in 2010 and was jailed for six years and eight months. 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". Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. ', Some wrote stronger messages, such as: 'Washed my hands with Alioski if he f***s off to those vermin. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. 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. Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. Menu That is true. [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. When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? I was amazed, he says. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. 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. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . Try a week on us. This year is the 20th anniversary of the mens deaths in Istanbul and many of their relatives carry those events as if they happened yesterday. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. The Loftus family gave up on campaigning for justice in Turkey because they did not think the system cared about them. 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. 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. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". 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. It was obvious that Galatasaray were making no concession for what had taken place, so that was our form of protest. Read about our approach to external linking. Hello Hell, We Are Leeds, read one banner carried by fans piling through Istanbul airport on Wednesday night. But he was not and the atmosphere was initially warmer than normal. My mum flicked it straight off again. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? The Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. The setting was Turkeys biggest city, on the banks of the Bosphorus, and the game was the first leg of a UEFA Cup semi-final. Association with the tragedy can be difficult. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. 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. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. The first time he went inside to be present, he sat with friends and cried. galatasaray leeds deathashtoreth worship practices. Both had numerous other wounds. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. Leeds have never forgiven Eric Cantona for . galatasaray leeds death. It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. Away tickets were limited to 80, which effectively covered only senior Galatasaray officials. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. By 10.30pm some of the rowdiest fans left the James Joyce and joined a crowd outside McDonalds just off Taksim Square. By that stage he was exhausted. The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". 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. 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. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. I feel sorry for her, George says. (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt AMA/Getty Images). At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. 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. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. Anywhere else in Europe, I doubt it would have been played. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. I looked at Eddie, he looked at me, we smiled a nervous smile and both said the same thing: Lets go.. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. When the press came round, me and my cousin would bounce on my bed to try and get in the photos and in the papers. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." 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. Everything was muddled. 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 stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. Anyone can read what . I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. But he didnt make much of it, like it was something of nothing. ", Jack Connolly added: "That Wesley Sneijder knife launch is disgusting, scum of the earth.". Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. Wesley Sneijder, a Dutch international who . 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. We looked up the steps and all you could see at the top was the dark sky and riot shields around the entrance to the pitch. Convention required the directors of the clubs involved in a European tie to share a meal with UEFA delegates the night before the game and Galatasaray arranged the gathering, not far from the Kempinski Hotel where Leedss players and directors were staying.

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