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We tried to keep a lot of the information about what had happened [to Speight and Loftus] from them, rightly or wrongly. The brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. At least nine other people, including six Leeds fans, were injured. They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". Ridsdale can visualise it all 21 years on: the lay-out of the hospital, the chaos inside, the panicked confusion. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. I genuinely feared for our lives. 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Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray supporters with murder. Leeds will on Saturday afternoon mark 15 years since the deaths of supporters Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, who were stabbed by a Galatasaray fan in April 2000. Thats just how the system worked. 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. Some headed for the James Joyce pub 200 metres away and joined a sing-song against Galatasaray. [28] In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to. Twenty Leeds fans, witnesses to the fight, were interviewed. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. [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. 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. 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). They had no direct contact with Galatasarays security officials but Fallows and Harry Stokoe, Leedss stadium manager, were able to visit the Ali Sami Yen the day before the game to map the venue out. Galatasaray 3-2 HangiKredi mraniyespor MORE. Because I was so young and the memories arent clear, I get times when I ask myself if it really happened. Holly, as a two-year-old, was left with no memories at all. [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". 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. Anywhere else in Europe, I doubt it would have been played. Ali Sami Yen, the stadium was so overcrowded that he had Galatasaray fans in front of him literally sat on my feet. The next day, he and Leeds players and coaching staff reached the airport, climbed on a plane and flew home. His financial record at Leeds was dismal and Leeds never forget about it. "Their chanting should make Ali Sami Yen [the Galatasaray stadium] hell for Leeds United.". It's a fantastic city and I'm willing to learn. Can you list the top facts and stats about 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence? 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. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. The blood had to be sourced externally and to do that, someone had to pay. I think you just go into a downward spiral. 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. The Turkish media tried to blame English fans for provoking the violence by being drunk and disrespecting the Turkish flag. It was a load of shit. We had to say to them as clearly as we could, If you go into the streets, if you go out drinking, we cant tell you how dangerous itll be. For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. It was horrible. Loftuss brother Andy jokes that he had thicker hair back in the day. Life is good. Galatasaray - Detailed squad 22/23 | Transfermarkt [39] Later on, British media blame also transferred towards Galatasaray fans. The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to. I was getting into trouble, drinking and fighting. Amid the fall-out and a world of shock in Leeds, Ridsdale suggested that the second leg at Elland Road would be safer without away fans. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item #respect. Alioski defended amid Leeds fans' fury over Galatasaray transfer links Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Shes struggled with it more than I have because shes got nothing there. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. They had been a couple since their teens. At no stage between arriving at the hospital and Leeds playing the first leg against Galatasaray the following night did Ridsdale sleep. Staff said many fans were drunk by 10pm, intimidating Turkish families drinking in the lounge. It didnt sit right with me. [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. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. Grieving Leeds Faces Galatasaray Rematch : It Is a Matter of Life Or Death, Sometimes. The atmosphere was electric like, scarily electric. 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. 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. The images are so vivid in Peter Ridsdales mind that he can describe every aspect of the hospital where Speight and Loftus were taken after they were attacked. I was amazed, he says. BBC News | EUROPE | Turkey still angry over fans' behaviour There is very little about the football which Ridsdale cares to remember and at the Ali Sami Yen, the stadium was so overcrowded that he had Galatasaray fans in front of him literally sat on my feet. The next day, he and Leeds players and coaching staff reached the airport, climbed on a plane and flew home. 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. The English FA followed the line of least resistance. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. Can you guess these stars by their unrecognisable FIFA and PES looks? Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Im not sure Ive even processed it now. 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 was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. [37] Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. [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. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. The fan responded: "If you did not know then fair enough but your club certainly did and they should be ashamed of themselves. When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. lisa left eye zodiac sign Search. And it is far too late to redress that now. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. From 5pm local time more than 100 Leeds fans had arrived shouting, singing and demanding beer, according to Batu Dedeler, the bar owner. Early relaxation gave way to brutal battle as rivals taunted each other, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. 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. So Leeds did. My instinct was that we had to know what was happening, Ridsdale says. It was obvious that Galatasaray were making no concession for what had taken place, so that was our form of protest. George is aware of some of the details but has tried not to dig too deeply. The Turkish. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. Its a game. I had no idea where we were going or why we were going there, he says. The facilities are great. 12/02/2021 . 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. This caused a severe riot in the city square, with several restaurant facilities used by fans to fight each other, with iron bars and knives also being used. It was our way of making sure the cameras and the world took notice of us.. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The images of that never grow old. My sympathy was with them. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two.
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