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Susan chose not to take the children to Speights funeral. I knew the ramifications would be life-long.. Obviously he liked his football too. Both families come here each April 5, to lay flowers and let another year pass. My mum just felt she had to move on. For George, the clearest memories of his dad are few and slightly random. Convictions were quashed, appeals were repetitive and it is far from clear how much of their respective sentences were served. I say that as someone who was back at his hotel when the stabbings occurred, he would be one of the last people to blame. The road to justice for the Speight and Loftus families was long and demoralising. 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. On the 20th anniversary of their deaths, he said: "I suffered quite badly after it happened. His brother was following behind us and, quite understandably, he lost it. Its a game. 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. [26] There were further clashes at the airport the day after the game. Galatasaray tragedy will stay with Leeds United and Eirik Bakke forever Ill be honest, by the time we were kicking off I had no idea why we were playing. More importantly, we needed to find out what state the two lads were in and whether we could help them.. Leeds fans have reacted furiously to reports that Ezgjan Alioski has agreed to move to Galatasaray. The deaths of Kevin Speight and Chris Loftus on the night before Leeds played their Uefa Cup semi-final first leg with Galatasaray - 20 years ago yesterday - represent one of the darkest and. Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. Forty Leeds fans arrested in the scuffles were released without charge. Youre a kid. 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. ", "They came to kill; Turk fans arm for war", "Arsenal worried about hooligans at UEFA Cup", "First class thugs; Postmen are caught in Copenhagen football rampage", "Post Office refuses to reinstate worker", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2000_UEFA_Cup_Final_riots&oldid=1113653919, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 October 2022, at 15:57. 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. But it had to be done., In the circumstances, did it surprise Fallows that the game in Istanbul went ahead? 2023 BBC. [50] In 2012 Piers Morgan, the editor of the Daily Mirror at the time and a high-profile Arsenal fan who attended the match, apologised for printing the pictures. Two lives lost and two lives wasted, for nothing. [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. The Football Associations David Davies said playing the game was the least worst option. Ali Sami Yen stadium should even go ahead. 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. Then a good mate of mine appeared and said thered been a bit of trouble. Asked shortly afterwards whether he thought the tie would still go ahead, Mr Ridsdale said: "It's too early to say. 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. Exclusive: Leeds icon Martyn on 21st anniversary of Galatasaray murders Everyones different., A brass plaque commemorating Speight and Lofus was set into brickwork outside Elland Road in 2001. But when it came to Istanbul, he and the club were remarkable in reacting quickly and with compassion. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item #respect. Turkish police, according to British of ficials, appeared to be taking the killings as seriously as they would hope. "Once more English hooligans, once more, blood," said the mainstream Hurriyet newspaper. George understands why but wishes with hindsight that he had been there. I genuinely feared for our lives. 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. Who really cares?. Leeds and Galatasaray have an extremely volatile relationship following the death of two Leeds supporters prior to the UEFA CUp semi-final back in 2000. 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. It is regarded as a significant act of betrayal by many fans for a Leeds player to join Galatasaray. But it was common sense. Theyd turned on their tellies and it was all over the Turkish news, Fallows says. Within an hour of the stabbings in central Istanbul, some of David OLearys squad emerged to speak to him. Everything happened in a flash. Away tickets were limited to 80, which effectively covered only senior Galatasaray officials. 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. galatasaray leeds death. "They came into town to see. The friend who arranged their trips abroad organised for them to fly home via Brussels. 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. Football is sport here and for many Istanbul residents Galatasaray - who won the league last Sunday - is football. The Turkish side are hated by those at Elland Road after two travelling fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray supporters prior to the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2000. As. Another picture, taken by the Yorkshire Evening Posts Mark Bickerdike, shows Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate stepping from the tunnel with tangible shock on their faces. The passing of time is there in all of them. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. One minute youre coming out of a bar, the next youve got people running to attack you. Massive riots Galatasaray - Leeds / Arsenal 2000 - YouTube 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. Speights son, George, is no longer the cheeky kid with floppy hair smiling brightly in the photograph of his father he digs out. Ali Umit . People speak well of him. 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. [18] Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. The images of that never grow old. The Turkish media blamed the Leeds fans. Alioski defended amid Leeds fans' fury over Galatasaray transfer links When the hospital said they were short of blood supplies, Ridsdale sent his chauffeur off to get more. This led to 19 injuries, including 4 stabbings, and 60 arrests with similar events occurring in England and Turkey in the aftermath of the riots. It is part of Leeds Uniteds fabric and it will never disappear: the night when football became murder and so many lives were changed. 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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Gray, one of OLearys assistants, tried to focus his attention elsewhere. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Ali Sami Yen was in a league of its own in atmosphere terms, aggressive and ferocious for visiting sides. Try a week on us. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. I cant explain it but I got this weird feeling, he says. I got arrested which was a bad thing but also a good thing. 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