I had no idea where we were going or why we were going there, he says. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. And worse things too. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 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. Your mind was elsewhere., Harte also felt a delayed reaction. Another supporter who tried to resuscitate Chris was hit with batons. 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. Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. I prefer to go to the plaque at Elland Road, he says. They just looked at me like I was stupid.. It was a haunting moment then and it haunts me now. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. The design of the place meant the Leeds players had to take a long walk to the tunnel, flanked by armed police. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. There was a sense of relief to be leaving, he says, but I knew that flying out of Istanbul wasnt the end of it. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. If you ask me now if I made the right or wrong decision by playing it, I still dont know, Ridsdale says. [7] The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. 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How can it be that two lads go to watch a football game and dont come back?. 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. Everything about that whole occasion was shocking. Kewell was quoted after joining Galatasaray as saying that to blame Galatasaray for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. [48] In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,[49] and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them. 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. 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. ', By Its funny what sticks in your head, he says. Mr Loftus from a plunging wound to his heart; Mr Speight, a few hours later after receiving a wound the length of his stomach. Later in the evening, a group of around 20 Leeds supporters broke off and found their way to the Riddim bar near Taksim Square, the huge expanse in the centre of Istanbul which was filled with places to eat and drink. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. It sunk in quickly once we got home. Bits of Istanbul werent in control. "Most were kind, but there were five or six really crazy guys. ', And: 'Alioski can f*** off, he obviously knows the history between the two clubs.'. We werent talking about Leeds General Infirmary. Speights treatment failed to save him. #RIPChrisAndKev. 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. The Loftuses had travelled to Turkey on the same flight as David OLearys players. Devastated., The next 24 hours were a blur. 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. The city centre was tense but, thanks to a massive police presence, mainly empty. Who really cares?. 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. A lot of what the police were doing was pure intimidation, Fallows says. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The away crowd emptied after Rangers late equaliser without realising what had unfolded inside the ground. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. Confusion reigned. For a couple of days afterwards you run on adrenaline, he says. Further information on the Istanbul violence: "Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell", "16 Hardcore Hooligan Firms, Ultras Groups We Wouldn't Want to Mess with", "Soldiers join hooligans to attack Turks in Cup clash", "Town in fear as drunken English pour in", "Arsenal-Galatasaray, sous le signe de la violence", "English, Turkish fans clash on eve final", "Copenhagen police overrun as soccer fans cause mayhem", "Folkefest endte i vold og masseslagsml", "Surprise attack by Arsenal fans seeking revenge sparked battle", "Violence erupts again as English and Turkish football fans riot in Copenhagen", "Danish police fear more brawls after European soccer final", "Violence overshadows historic soccer victory", "Charleroi lobby yet to learn lessons of Heysel", "Turkish and English fans clash at airport", "Galatasaray Wins UEFA Cup After Day of Rioting by Fans", "England told: more rioting and you're out", "Piers Morgan On Arsenal, Foreign Ownership and Twitter Rants", "SPORTS - The shadow on the UEFA Cup triumph", "How long until Turk fans cause another death on the pitch? 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. 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. 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). George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye. 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. My mum just felt she had to move on. (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt AMA/Getty Images). I respect the Loftuses for fighting, 100 per cent. junio 12, 2022. abc news anchors female philadelphia . To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. Its a strange thing but its important to me. [2] The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). 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. Absolutely amazed and totally stunned. He was seven when Speight died, his sister Holly two. Leeds and Galatasaray fans clashed in violent scenes in April 2000 at 21:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. At this juncture, it should be said that Kewell and Alioski were not identical. Galatasaray away on April 6, 2000; a huge occasion for the club in a football sense, Ridsdale says. There isnt much that unnerves me but that was quite a scary moment. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. Fatih Terim, Galatasaray's coach, had whipped up his side's supporters. I stopped getting involved eventually, Andy says. We had hundreds of fans in Turkey, some in the air and another plane due to fly the following morning (the morning flight out from Leeds-Bradford Airport was rapidly cancelled). I could see in their faces how much they were raging, Fallows says. 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. [38] In Turkey, the media portrayed Galatasaray fans as acting in self-defence, with criticism directed at the British fans for allegedly attacking members of the press. Welcome to Hell, Galatasaray liked to say. 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. How the violence started is unclear. It was horrible. The police did nothing, in fact they were helping them beat us up." You dont take much notice of whats said because youre out there for a beer and a laugh. Ali Umit Demir, was arrested by Turkish police within days and he and three other Turks were later convicted in court. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured. Acquittal plea in soccer death trial. Something went wrong, please try again later. I feel everything: anger, sadness. Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. Andy Loftus had flown to watch the match with his brother. She knows who he was but its not the same.. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. Uefa, after consultation with the clubs and the Turkish authorities, wavered but eventually decided to go ahead. "I haven't seen a single Englishman all day," said a newspaper vendor. Those April nights were as close as Leeds will get to it. I can only go on what my mum said, but my dad was nothing like that. 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. By the time the match kicked off, the ramifications of two fatal stabbings the previous evening were rapidly sinking in and for those who were closest to it, the images wont fade. Matt White tweeted: "Wesley Sneijder tweeting a personalised Galatasaray knife set on the 15th anniversary of the murder of 2 Leeds fans in Istanbul? Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. [34] The Copenhagen riots followed a long line of similar events involving English football fans, and in June, UEFA's executive committee listed the Heysel Stadium disaster, disorders in Charleroi and Brussels, the killing of the two Leeds fans in Istanbul, and the Copenhagen riots and warned the British government that if there was any more rioting then England would be expelled from Euro 2000. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. 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. 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.
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