But in the light of day, the sun hits it and the sparkle lingers. In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. After a long legal process in Turkey, four men were jailed in 2010. There was nothing you could say to him. And thats without even mentioning what had gone on the night before with the two lads who were killed. By last night's kick-off, the pools of blood, shattered glass and debris had been cleared away. I spent the whole night thinking, What are we doing here? And when the Leeds fans turned their backs to the pitch, total respect to them because the football meant nothing. [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. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. When youre seven you cant process something like that, can you? I got a lot of abuse for that and no wonder. 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. 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. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. galatasaray leeds death - kikuyajp.com I knew the ramifications would be life-long., (Photo: Phil Noble PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images), 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. Even now I get the feeling that people think we started it, Andy says. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. 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. I dont know if the club encouraged them to do that but you were well aware of objects hitting the shields. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. Others that the Turks precipitated it by throwing chairs. Turkish man jailed for stabbing deaths of Leeds fans At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. And others, like Eddie Gray and Ian Harte, have moved on with their lives. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. I am not sure if the first few expected fighting but I saw one guy running to a telephone to call his friends after he saw the English. Kewell grew up in Leeds academy and was in the starting line-up for both legs against Galatasaray. I stood there with Eddie Gray, Fallows says. How the violence started is unclear. By then, you knew exactly what had gone on and you knew the severity of it. Chris & Kevin - Never Forgotten - Leeds United Galatasaray - Detailed squad 22/23 | Transfermarkt They stressed as delicately as they could the importance of staying indoors. 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. A couple of lads came back to the hotel on their own and when I asked where the rest of them were, they didnt know. Rory Carroll in Istanbul and Martin Wainwright. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. I didnt want to do it either. My mum just felt she had to move on. Anywhere else in Europe, I doubt it would have been played. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. He was eight when the deaths occurred and he was 25 when he came to England as a professional. "There's a lot of anger. 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. Over a coffee in Starbucks, George Speight finds a way to be philosophical about his fathers death. They thought we were looking for a sporting advantage, which is just incredible. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. Ridsdale is someone the Speights hold in high regard. Something went wrong, please try again later. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. 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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. 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. Galatasaray accused him of trying to gain an unfair sporting advantage. Leeds United fans' deaths in Turkey 20 years ago 'feels like - BBC Jesus. It didnt sit right with me. 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. According to one witness, a Turkish man was pushed to the ground and smashed his teeth on the pavement. [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. Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. Spencer interrupted dinner to advise Ridsdale that they should return to the hotel immediately. Galatasaray advance to Ziraat Trkiye Kupas . But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. , 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. The police were knocking everyone about, says Paul Holmes, a friend of the Loftuses who was in Taksim Square when the violence broke out. It was the same at the second leg when I had to stand and look after Galatasarays main man at Elland Road. Chris and Kevin were brutally murdered in Istanbul on the eve of our UEFA Cup semi-final fixture with Galatasaray in 2000. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. And it is far too late to redress that now. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. Ali Umit . Chelsea 1-0 Leeds LIVE: Blues finally find the breakthrough as Wesley Fofana heads home the opener in the second half in a game Graham Potter really needs to win as Brighton and Aston Villa . After taking stock, he got involved with the cancer charity Candlelighters and helped raise almost 150,000 for local hospital facilities. My mum struggled massively with it all and she still does now, George says. Those killed were "attackers", it said. He visited his fathers body in the chapel of rest across the road, bringing pictures he had drawn for him with felt tips. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. On the 21st anniversary of Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus' deaths on April 5 2000, Martyn also recalls the immediate reaction of the Leeds squad . Holmes says Andy was the life and soul of the party before Istanbul but the impact of Chriss death was severe. The brothers went to the British Embassy but, in Andys words, found them to be worse than useless. As kick-off drew near, the drums and the noise from the stadium filtered down to the Ali Sami Yens subterranean dressing rooms. 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. ", Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day's key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox. Leeds always kept records of who was travelling and which hotels they were using. 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. 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. 11 Feb 02 | Europe Turkish justice moves slowly . He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. Galatasaray football player Wesley Sneijder has released a commemorative knife set - on the 15th anniversary of the fatal stabbing of two Leeds fans by Turkish supporters. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Welcome to Hell, Galatasaray liked to say. It triggered something and I ran into the ward. "We did amazing business in one hour. It is his life and his career, much as the option of Galatasaray was incapable of arising without anyone passing comment. Riots and 2 English deaths around UEFA Cup matches Galatasaray from Turkey against English teams in 2000 He was taken to identify the other, Chris Loftus, in the morgue after doctors mistook him for a family member. [37], In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. Ridsdale and Leedss operations director, David Spencer, were at a floating restaurant on the Bosphorus when they were phoned to tell them trouble in the centre of Istanbul had resulted in at least two fans being hospitalised. If the thought of a transfer like that sits uncomfortably then perhaps it should. 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. "It's just a bit of a rollercoaster ride really but we get by," he said. We tried to raise awareness but it was a farce. Then you get your head around whats actually happened. [27], At Parken Stadium, where the final was to be played, the police erected iron fencing outside to separate the Arsenal and Galatasaray fans as a precaution. It was only when Gray arrived home that his parents asked if he was OK and told him about the many Rangers fans who had died. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. According to a waiter at a nearby restaurant, the Turkish club's fanatical fans had heard through the grapevine that trouble was brewing. The second leg was totally different. One wrote: 'If Alioski goes there, his high regard and reputation with Leeds fans is destroyed!! 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. Gjanni Alioski Leeds to Galatasaray transfer talks end for - TEAMtalk After travelling to the Turkish capital to follow the club, Mr Speight and Mr Loftus were attacked with machetes when a row broke out between rival fans. It is regarded as a significant act of betrayal by many fans for a Leeds player to join Galatasaray. I think those who arrived later knew what to expect.". Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. The plaque on the wall by Elland Roads East Stand says Never Forgotten and Leeds United swore themselves to those words. Trust us, this is only going to get worse., It didnt go down well, and I got that. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Istanbul was like no other event he has dealt with. Ill hear them saying, Thats Kevin Speights lad and I like that.

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