Following the two tragic deaths, local police arrested and charged four Galatasaray supporters with murder. Try a week on us. 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. On each trip he would set up a desk in the corridor where the team were staying, a point of contact in case of any problems. 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. Its a game. It triggered something and I ran into the ward. I went for some counselling and didnt go through with all of it but the charity work helped. , updated Scuffles broke out but the police moved in and fans scattered. 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. Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. (Main photo of Kevin Speight with his son George and daughter Holly). At the hospital, Ridsdale encountered absolute chaos. I heard the rumours that some Leeds fan wiped his arse with a Turkey flag and things like that but people tell me none of its true. A streetwise Mancunian, he has looked after Oasis, Noel Gallagher and Take That and on the morning when we speak hes at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, organising staff for a gig by The Script. [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. [32] The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.[33]. It sunk in quickly once we got home. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. As. Twenty Leeds fans, witnesses to the fight, were interviewed. 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. Istanbul was life and death and more than focusing on Alioski himself, the attention on him generated by the very prospect of a move to Turkey itself should make us ask why it was ever allowed to come to this; a horrific episode which offered no chance of peace or proper closure. 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). They knocked back as much Elfe (lager), Jack Daniels and Bacardi as I could pour.". That deal took Kewell back to a stadium where he and Leeds once needed protection with riot shields. He must have been off his head., Ian Harte, the left-back, is more vivid in describing it. UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. You mention him over Farsley way and people respect him. People speak well of him. Obviously he liked his football too. He had a passion for Lambretta scooters and spent his spare time fixing old models in his mothers garden. galatasaray leeds death; marfan criteria calculator; galatasaray leeds death. 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. To this day, it is used as a tribute every time the anniversary comes round. Ridsdale can visualise it all 21 years on: the lay-out of the hospital, the chaos inside, the panicked confusion. Mr Loftus's brother Andy said: "I know it may seem a long time but it's still very much like yesterday really.". "We came out of a bar and there were 100 people waiting for us with machetes, knives, bits of chair and table legs and they just attacked us. "Maybe they thought they were being funny but to Turks who do not speak good English, it was very offensive.". David Davies, the Football Association's executive director, called it "frankly, the least worst option". His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman, had been dining with directors from Galatasaray when reports of trouble came through. [20], After the match, which Galatasaray won 41 on penalties, approximately 300 Arsenal fans in the Finsbury Park area of Islington in London attacked Turkish restaurants and businesses, with bottles being used to break windows. In fact, the Leeds United supporters, arriving for the first leg of their Uefa Cup semi-final with Galatasaray, were at first greeted in a way which mostly belied the Welcome to Hell banners which have traditionally greeted English teams there. 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. Loftus had been stabbed five times and Speight twice. Read about our approach to external linking. Maybe, he says, and his voice tails off. The death of the two Leeds fans in street fighting in central Istanbul on Wednesday turned Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium into an armed camp, with 10,000 police patrolling in and around the . Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. 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. George is different. Harry Kewell is in front of him, carrying a ball and looking bewildered. The routine for Andy and others who went abroad with Leeds was always the same: straight to the hotel, straight into town, straight on the beer. [20], Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans[19] attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. Gray remembers OLeary going out of the team hotel to visit a barbers for a shave beforehand. 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. Early relaxation gave way to brutal battle as rivals taunted each other, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. It didnt sit right with me. zhuri james net worth 2021 / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes / low carb ground beef and spinach recipes 2000 fights between English and Turkish football fans. The bodies were repatriated a few days later, beginning the process of mourning and funerals. It was completely against your idea of law and order. Tributes began to cover the gates and the Billy Bremner Statue at Elland Road. It was how away days in Europe played out. The police warned a postponement could cause more trouble. He rushed to Taksim hospital, near where the men were stabbed. [38], In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. 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. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. 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. Bouncers guarded the bars from any English fans. Former club legend Harry Kewell previously soured his relationship with Leeds fans after moving to Galatasaray from Liverpool in 2008. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Wed heard that Istanbul could be a bit dangerous but we never thought anything of it, Andy says. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. You dont take much notice of whats said because youre out there for a beer and a laugh. They didnt care., The Speights were different and left the criminal cases alone. 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. Rory Carroll in Istanbul and Martin Wainwright. They all say no. The away crowd emptied after Rangers late equaliser without realising what had unfolded inside the ground. In 2014 he was spoken to by a Turkish website, a free man again. That decision drew much criticism, as well it might. The manager of Leeds, David O'Leary, had voiced fears of being met at the airport by "a 100-strong rentamob". Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. It is 10 years since he last went to the grave. (Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt AMA/Getty Images). 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. 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'. 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. At the time he said: 'It was a tragic thing in football but we can't live in the past. And worse things too. I got a lot of abuse for that and no wonder. Demir was allowed to undertake national service with the Turkish military before being convicted for a second time in June 2007 and sentenced to 80 months. 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. Gala is an awful football club and Alioski is an awful footballer. There was the time when the pub opened its doors early to allow the locals to catch an early kick-off between Leeds and Manchester United. Andy was jailed in 2013 for his part in a fight between Leeds and Tottenham Hotspur fans in which a Spurs supporter was knocked unconscious. In the context of football, that era was phenomenally good: Leeds in Europe and another trip to the continent always waiting around the corner. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. 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. Whether this should dictate a transfer like the one Alioski was asked to ponder is a matter of opinion. Menu If you're Leeds, you don't move to a direct rival, simple. [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 loss ofKevin Speight and Christopher Loftus is still felt incredibly deeply and the feud between the clubs remains. I didnt feel that their response was what our response would have been. Hed just met a girl. 13:02 EST 23 Mar 2021 #RIPChrisAndKev. [10][12] This led to the final being considered "high risk"; 2,000 members of the Danish police were assigned to the game, with assistance from members of British and Turkish police forces. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. This morning the Dutch international tweeted: "Finally my GalatasaraySK knife set is now available and can be delivered everywhere.". We catch up at the cafe in an Asda store near his home in Killingbeck and he speaks bravely but reluctantly; not because he wants to but because he thinks he should, for the sake of his brother Chriss memory. George has no recollection of his dad leaving for Istanbul or of him saying goodbye. As injured and angry Leeds fans came through, he did what he could. Thats just how the system worked. The Ibrox disaster was a tragedy, an accident, he says. [18] Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. It was a lad from Shipley who I knew, Andy says. ', While a third posted: 'They suit each other. 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. Ridsdale still struggles to accept Galatasarays indifferent reaction to the stabbings. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed in Istanbul on the eve of. You were dealing with young lads and the last thing you wanted to do was scare them.. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Several fans offered to foot the bill. So Leeds did. Life is good. 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".