![Taksim Square 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Taksim_Square_2012.jpg)
The 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, between fans of English football team
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
and Turkish team
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
before the first match of the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
semi-final on 5 April 2000, led to two Leeds fans being stabbed to death by Galatasaray fans. Four men were arrested and charged with their murders. The deaths led to an angry reaction in England with Galatasaray fans being banned from attending the second leg in England.
Background
Leeds qualified for the UEFA Cup through finishing fourth in the
1998–99 Premier League. They reached the semi-final after defeating
Partizan Partizan may refer to:
Sport
* JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs:
**AK Partizan, athletics
** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling
** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo
**FK Partizan, association fo ...
,
Lokomotiv Moscow
FC Lokomotiv Moscow (''FC Lokomotiv Moskva'', russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб "Локомотив" Москва, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three oc ...
,
Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia:
* FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club
* HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team
* Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club
* WB ...
,
Roma and
Slavia Prague
Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in ...
. Galatasaray qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing third in the group stage in the
1999–2000 UEFA Champions League
The 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League was the 45th season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the eighth season since its rebranding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The com ...
.
They entered the third round defeating
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
,
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
and
Mallorca en route to the semi-final.
Galatasaray had a reputation of creating a hostile atmosphere surrounding their home matches and Leeds travelled there aiming to reach the UEFA Cup Final in order to win in their last chance of silverware of their season.
Events
The violence occurred at 21:00 in Istanbul's
Taksim Square
Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...
during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans the day before their UEFA Cup semi-final first leg at Galatasaray's
Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Ali Sami Yen Stadium ( tr, Ali Sami Yen Stadyumu) was the home of the football club Galatasaray S.K. in Istanbul, Turkey, from 1964 to 2010. It is named after the founder of the club, Ali Sami Yen. The stadium had a capacity of 23,477 (all-seater) ...
in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
on 6 April 2000.
Turkish accounts of the events stated that Leeds fans had been taunting people from local bars, which led to the
Turkish police
The General Directorate of Security ( tr, Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü) or Turkish Police Service ( tr, Türk Polis Teşkilatı) is the national civilian police force responsible for law enforcement of the Republic of Turkey, which is affiliated w ...
being called in to stop fights from breaking out.
There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a nearby telephone box to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. Several Galatasaray fans, reportedly members of a gang called "The Night Watchmen",
entered the area shortly afterwards, precipitating a fight between the two sets of supporters which led to the two Leeds fans, Kevin Speight, 40, and Christopher Loftus, 37, being stabbed to death.
Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings.
The first moments of the fight are unclear with witness accounts of the brawl either being started by Leeds fans throwing beer glasses at Galatasaray fans and insulting the
Turkish flag or being started by Galatasaray fans throwing chairs
or ambushing Leeds fans with knives.
Aftermath
In 2002, after an adjournment from 2001 where some of the defendants failed to appear in court,
Demir was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment
which was reduced from 30 years as it was not clear who was the sole cause of the deaths.
This sentence was negatively received by residents of Istanbul who said that Demir was a "patriot". In 2005, he was released for a retrial after a change in Turkish law and after an appeal in 2003 was successful. Eventually one of the Turkish attackers was sentenced to 10 years, while three others were sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison.
Because of the stabbings, Leeds United banned Galatasaray fans from attending the second leg at
Elland Road, claiming that the safety of fans inside the stadium could not be guaranteed and asked for Galatasaray fans not to travel to England. Galatasaray in response asked for the match to be played at a neutral venue or for Leeds fans to be banned from the match as well. In the end, Galatasaray fans were banned from the match.
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
supported the ban and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government. This led to an angry reaction from Galatasaray's vice-president who called the decision "disgusting" and by the Turkish State Minister who said that Leeds were trying to turn the murders into an advantage. Leeds United chairman,
Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale (born 11 March 1952) is an English businessman and advisor to the owner at Preston North End. He was until December 2011 the Chairman of Football Operations at Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United ...
, responded by claiming that Galatasaray were showing a lack of respect and said that Galatasaray should withdraw from the UEFA Cup if they did not accept the ban.
![Leeds United 0 Arsenal 4 Flickr 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Leeds_United_0_Arsenal_4_Flickr_2000.jpg)
The day after the violence; flowers, scarves and shirts were laid outside the Elland Road gates in tribute.
The statue of former Leeds United captain
Billy Bremner which was outside the stadium also had a black armband placed on it as a symbol of the club mourning. Leeds United installed a brass plaque in Elland Road to remember those who had been killed in the violence.
Leeds'
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
match against
Arsenal the Sunday before the second leg was marked by Arsenal players laying flowers at all four corners of Elland Road and a minute's silence being held before the match started in respect for the death of the two Leeds fans.
![Leeds United-Galatasaray match in 20 April 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Leeds_United-Galatasaray_match_in_20_April_2000.jpg)
Before the second leg, Ridsdale took out advertisements in British newspapers calling for calm, with the messages in the adverts also being translated into Turkish. Despite this,
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers.
History
West Yor ...
warned local Turkish businesses to close early. When Galatasaray officials arrived at Elland Road for the second leg, hundreds of Leeds fans attacked the coaches that were carrying them which delayed the kick-off of the second leg. During the first minute of the match, Leeds fans turned their backs on the match in protest at what was viewed as a lack of justice.
Leeds lost the tie 4–2 on aggregate. On the day of
the final in
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, members of Leeds United's hooligan firm the
Leeds United Service Crew, joined members of other British hooligan firms led by
Arsenal's firm. In Copenhagen, they met up in order to enact
revenge attacks on Galatasaray fans in
City Hall Square.
The next season, Leeds United were drawn against Turkish side
Beşiktaş in the
Champions League. Security surrounding both matches was increased and planned several months in advance. Because of the tensions caused by the stabbings in Istanbul, only 70 Beşiktaş fans travelled to Leeds. They had originally been booked onto an official Beşiktaş chartered flight; however, it was cancelled, as was pre-match hospitality prepared by Leeds' directors.
The flight, sponsored by Beşiktaş fans, was cancelled because only 70 out of a hoped-for 500 fans wanted to go to the match.
In the return leg, Beşiktaş placed Leeds fans, who had been escorted through the airport, on an alcohol-free cruise around the
Bosphorus Strait before being transported by bus to the
BJK İnönü Stadium
İnönü Stadium ( tr, İnönü Stadyumu) was a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club Beşiktaş J.K. Previously, the ground had also been shared with Galatasaray S.K. and Fenerbahçe S.K. The ground was ...
in Istanbul before the match.
The events are used by some football supporters to antagonize Leeds fans. It has been used by
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
,
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
and
Manchester United fans. Manchester United fans also brought banners to Leeds matches referencing the murders in Istanbul. In 2009, a Millwall supporter was banned from
the New Den for life after taunting Leeds fans about the events whilst wearing a Galatasaray shirt. In 2011, four more Millwall fans were banned from attending the club's matches for waving Turkish flags at a match against Leeds. Galatasaray fans used similar chants before their
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
match in 2012 against Manchester United.
In 2015, Galatasaray player
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he st ...
apologised after he advertised a set of knives bearing his image on the eve of the 15th anniversary.
References
External links
Leeds United official websiteGalatasaray official website
{{authority control
Association football hooliganism
semi-final violence
Football in Turkey
Leeds United F.C.
Galatasaray S.K. (men's football)
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
April 2000 events in Europe
1999–2000 in Turkish football
Association football riots
Riots and civil disorder in Turkey
2000 riots
2000s in Istanbul