Trouble in Istanbul

The following article was received from SAFC net, the online Sunderland fanzine. In it, the author explains his views on last week's tragic incidents.

Last Wednesday night saw scenes that no respecting football fan would wish upon their worst enemies. On the eve before Leeds' UEFA Cup first leg match against Galatasaray in Istanbul, two Leeds fans were stabbed to death during clashes in the heart of Istanbul.

Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus were both stabbed to death in what the media reported as "clashes between rivals sets of fans", whilst Leeds fans at the scene felt that Galatasaray fans "gate crashed" on a quiet nights drinking.

Although only Speight and Loftus were killed, the injuries could have been much worse, as most of the injuries were brought about as a result of stabbing. TV reports in the UK suggest that the Turkish police were more keen on clearing the streets, rather then helping the wounded, quite a few of whom were bleeding.

I'm sure that everyone will agree that this sort of behaviour is deplorable, and it is worrying that - in some countries - the police seem to be allowing this sort of violence to occur on the streets.

Us at SAFCnet are saying that - especially in the light of the five-year bans handed out to English clubs in Europe following the Heysel tragedy in 1985 - Galatasaray should be booted out of the UEFA Cup for the remainder of this season, and from all European competitions for at least the next two seasons.

A week ago, a Leeds website was hacked into, and the main page was replaced with an image of a man urinating on the (old) Leeds club badge. This type of rivalry is - in a way - "friendly", but the murder of Speight and Loftus is a result of the Turks taking this rivalry too far.

Earlier this season, when Chelsea went to Istanbul in the Champions League, Vialli's foreign legion were greeted with the same kinds of chants of "Welcome to Hell", although there were no notable acts of violence between the two sets of fans.

The result of this UEFA Cup semi-final is not important. The fact of the matter is that two lives have been taken away at a tragically young age, and two familes are now left without a father. It's even more galling when you realise that Galatasaray should not even be in the UEFA Cup, as they landed in the competition - along with Arsenal - when they finished 3rd place in the first phase of the Champions League. All of this was brought on by UEFA as a money-spinning extension to the Champions League.

Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight have been robbed of the chance to potentially see Leeds lift the UEFA Cup next month. And all as a result of money-hungry football chiefs.

I hope the big-wigs at UEFA who dreamt up the Champions League revamp (and the idea of the UEFA Cup "safety net") are proud of themselves, because their ideas have cost the lives of two men, who went to Turkey so they could watch their side play in the UEFA Cup semi finals.

And to think... we could be playing a Turkish side next season if we qualify for Europe...