galatasaray leeds death

Galatasaray wanted me from the start. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". 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. [42] Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. Try a week on us. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. One of our security lads had to go with the bus to a compound, some sort of a lock-up. 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. Within a year, however, Demir, following an appeal, was a free man after his conviction was quashed and a re-trial ordered. Its 20 years now but I dont think Ill ever get over it. Eddie Gray is crouching down as he runs up from underground and into the open air. 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. Those killed were "attackers", it said. 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. There was no minutes silence or acknowledgement of the deaths. But if you back out, youll forfeit the game and incur a 3-0 defeat. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. Loftus, 35, was a telephone engineer and an easy-going lad. And I still blame myself a lot.. Galatasaray beat English team Leeds United but their matches were marred by violence: two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death before their semi-final first leg at Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul on 6 April 2000. 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. 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. Obviously he liked his football too. There were a few Turkish fans outside the bars we started drinking in but we didnt think much of it. US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus. In contrast, what Leeds saw in Galatasaray was a baffling lack of sympathy. It felt to me like the police were trying to frighten us, he says. 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. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? It was obvious that Galatasaray were making no concession for what had taken place, so that was our form of protest. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too. Past present or future..', A second added: 'Would much rather see one of the u23s get a chance at lb than Alioski for the rest of the season. Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. I tried telling Galatasarays staff to get them out. 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. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). Fans in nearby bars remained unaware of the violence. 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.". And worse things too. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. Witnesses said he had been bludgeoned by police as he cradled a dying Chris in the street. The Speights were a close family who lived in the Yorkshire village of Farsley, where Kevin Speight was landlord of the Bay Horse pub. Read about our approach to external linking. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic.. As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Melbourne Victory, Al-Gharafa and Melbourne Heart. We were just trying to control the worst situation imaginable.. , updated 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. As a Turkish man is found guilty in Istanbul of murdering two Leeds United fans, the BBC gauges the reaction of local people. After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. 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. "This was a premeditated attack," said Steve Wilkinson, who suffered knife wounds to one leg and a wound to his hand. And it is far too late to redress that now. Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder launches knife range - mirror It makes me proud. Like his father, George has the nickname Spag. sauce pizza and wine mac and cheese. It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. The potential for trouble was as high as anything Id been involved in. How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. [47] Michael Doherty, the chairman of the Communication Workers Union, and his brother Tom took Royal Mail to an Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal claiming they had been acting in self-defence. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? The images of that never grow old. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. Galatasaray 2-1 Trabzonspor MORE. Give our social media channels a follow . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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". Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen. "Kevin had two young children. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. I think you just go into a downward spiral. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! 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. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. Devastated., The next 24 hours were a blur. Hed just met a girl. We tried to raise awareness but it was a farce. 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. But it was common sense. "They came into town to see. It sounds daft but I dont think I knew how to react. 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. 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. From my point of view I was only interested in getting that game over and done with as safely as possible. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. Speight arrived soon after and was seen chatting to midfielder Alan Smith as they walked through the breezy foyer at Ataturk Airport. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. 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. The complication here is that football has no right to dictate how people manage a grievance that goes so far beyond standard rivalry. It was totally deliberate. I was amazed, he says. [30] In total, nineteen people were injured and sixty people were arrested,[27] with 15 of the arrested being subsequently banned from attending Euro 2000. "Most were kind, but there were five or six really crazy guys. 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. 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 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. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. Andys last memory of Chris is of him rolling his eyes sarcastically and ribbing him for leaving early, in brotherly style. He was showered with stickers and sweets gifts from friends who lived locally and Ridsdale, who supported both families throughout, delivered Easter eggs to the house for him and Holly. How the violence started is unclear. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. . The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. And there was the time when Speight took him to Elland Road and George, in his infancy, mistakenly cheered when the opposition scored. 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. My sympathy was with them. Ill hear them saying, Thats Kevin Speights lad and I like that. I genuinely feared for our lives. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. He said getting involved in charity work and fundraisers, including running half-marathons in memory of his brother, had helped him to deal with his sibling's death. [4] Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings. In 2014 he was spoken to by a Turkish website, a free man again. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. For me, it didnt feel real. He had been up all night receiving news of the stabbings, inflicted during violence which broke out on the eve of a UEFA Cup tie between Leeds and Galatasaray. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. But eventually the issue of what to do about the game had to be addressed. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. The driver said hed turn it off but I wanted to listen to it. 15:32 EST 23 Mar 2021. Nicolo Zaniolo signed on a permanent deal MORE. Football riots in City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark (May 2000). galatasaray leeds death There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. One of 13 Turks arrested in Istanbul has confessed to stabbing Leeds United fan Christopher Loftus, whose body is expected . I had no idea where we were going or why we were going there, he says. 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).

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