It is wrong to presume to tell those who were affected by the events in Istanbul how to feel or how to react to a player taking Galatasarays money. After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. [45] It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. Fallows is a security guard with ample experience. George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye. 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 Read about our approach to external linking. [6] Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. The families of the victims will tell you that. My mum just felt she had to move on. 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. They reported that as one of them tried to give the kiss of life to Mr Loftus, he was set upon. 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. When they came back to Elland Road they thought our request for no away fans was inappropriate. The police had prior warning of potential trouble and deployed 2,000 officers to the area, yet they were unable to control the riot until they fired tear gas. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. 'There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. Anyone can read what . Has to be the biggest DO NOT for any Leeds player!! Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 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. , updated In the weeks after the deaths, he offered them emotional and financial assistance (the family declined to take any money) and would phone Susan regularly to keep in touch. Former Leeds United Chairman Peter Ridsdale said: "The lasting impact has been to see the devastating effect it's had on Christopher and Kevin's families. We switched on the telly and it was all over the news, George says. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. 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. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. Speight was with a group of Leeds fans attacked by Turkish locals outside a bar by Istanbuls Taksim Square, sustaining a slash wound to his stomach. Its that attitude of, They must have gone looking for it. All the stuff about cars being tipped over, us disrespecting their women if youd been there, youd know. More than a dozen police watched but initially did not intervene. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Within an hour of the stabbings in central Istanbul, some of David OLearys squad emerged to speak to him. Kewell grew up in Leeds academy and was in the starting line-up for both legs against Galatasaray. He sees it now as a necessary shock to the system. [26] There were further clashes at the airport the day after the game. The connection was not comparable to Kewells. Ill be careful here but I have to say that I felt uncomfortable welcoming Galatasarays delegates to Elland Road. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. 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. ', Some wrote stronger messages, such as: 'Washed my hands with Alioski if he f***s off to those vermin. Even so, the counterargument holds water. Thats what they were, kids. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [41] It was noted by Turkish newspaper, Radikal that cannabis was being freely traded in the city square during the time before the riots, and the police did nothing about it. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. It was totally deliberate. In Turkey, two supporters were murdered. Galatasaray 2 - 1 Fraport TAV Antalyaspor MORE. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. The passing of time is there in all of them. [17], Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. 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. Ali Umit . Andy has paid for the plaque to be cleaned a couple of times and it could do with another polish now. They had been a couple since their teens. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. For long periods, none of those found guilty spent time behind bars. Around them, riot police are standing with shields in the air, protecting the players from what Fallows says was all sorts of things smashing off them. Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I like that they remember him. 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. 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The problem shouldn't have been Alioski or his next club, it's how Galatasaray dealt with that tragedy By Phil Hay Jul 24, 2021 In the early hours of the morning after the death of two Leeds. I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Ridsdale said last year. He started shouting for Christopher to wake up. 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. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England. The eggs were massive and I was chuffed to bits with mine, he says. They ploughed on regardless, much like UEFA, and left Ridsdale thinking that their directors were more worried about distancing themselves from the stabbings than helping Leeds cope with them. Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. 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. After a while, Andys eldest brother Phil complained of feeling ill and the two of them decided to go back to their hotel. Both had numerous other wounds. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. The way the police and the authorities were with us. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. 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. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. The brother of one of two Leeds United fans killed in Turkey 20 years ago says his death is "still fresh in my memory". Through different eyes and different viewpoints, a picture built up of the disregard and indifference with which they had been treated by those they looked to for help. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. on the 20th anniversary of the killings in Istanbul. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. 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. [18] Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. The shadow of Istanbul is longer for Andy Loftus. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. There was nothing you could say to him. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. I went off the rails, he says. Ridsdale agreed to send his wife and other officials back but instructed a car to take him and Spencer to Taksim Hospital. But where Galatasaray failed, and where Ridsdale specifically felt resentment, was in grasping the scale of the tragedy and in refusing to accept that violence on the streets and a UEFA Cup tie could not be classed as unrelated events once the worst had happened. 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. [12] However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence. Everything happened in a flash. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. 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. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. The police were doing nothing to stop them. It was horrible. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. And I still blame myself a lot.. At the hotel, Phil went up to his room. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. No question.. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). galatasaray leeds death. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. [25] The British fans were later released without charge but were forbidden from returning to Denmark. Wed spoken about doing something beforehand, he says. [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. They will never be forgotten.. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. Two Leeds fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray supporters before game Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". George is aware of some of the details but has tried not to dig too deeply. I dont think, even to this day, that Galatasaray would see the amount of press coverage or criticism as being fairly labelled against them, Risdale says. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. "There's a lot of anger. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. He had a passion for Lambretta scooters and spent his spare time fixing old models in his mothers garden. It is regarded as a significant act of betrayal by many fans for a Leeds player to join Galatasaray. I know bits and bats but it doesnt help me to go over it, he says. 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. 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. Andy got a pint at the bar. And worse things too. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_, Leeds players needed protection from police with riot shields before their game against Galatasaray in 2000 (Photo: Steve Mitchell/EMPICS via Getty Images). My sympathy was with them. [13], On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located. You ask them one by one if 20 years have helped them process what happened. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. Without his help, my mum would have been a bit lost, George says. [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. It wasnt a proper A&E unit. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. 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. [36], In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium. Four people were stabbed in the scuffles, which also involved fans from other clubs and were viewed by the media as part of a retaliation for the killing of two Leeds United fans by Galatasaray supporters the month before. 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. 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. I dont think a single one of the lads wanted to play that night.. Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. Disgusting. 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. Others suggested a group of Leeds supporters had attacked a lone Turk, possibly a taxi driver, who had then returned with a mob wielding knives and machetes. As chairman of Leeds, he told the UEFA official that it would make sense to postpone the first leg of the semi-final which Leeds and Galatasaray were about to play.