Violence breaks out before emotional soccer match in England

April 20, 2000
Web posted at: 10:05 p.m. EDT (0205 GMT)

In this story: 23 arrested around game A moment of silence for slain fans RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

LEEDS, England -- Despite a massive police presence, violence broke out before an emotion-laden soccer match between Turkey's Galatasaray and Leeds United of England.

Thursday's match was played just two weeks after two English fans were stabbed to death in the streets of Istanbul prior to the first in the two-match UEFA Cup semifinal series between the clubs.

The Leeds fans, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, were buried in Leeds this week. With emotion running high over the killings, all but a token presence of Turkish fans were barred from Thursday's game.

The game resulted in a 2-2 draw. Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup semifinal 4-2 on aggregate, after winning the first leg in Istanbul 2-0.

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23 arrested around game

Violence erupted shortly before the game in the streets around the stadium, but police in riot gear charged the fans and dispersed them.

The bus carrying the Galatasaray players to the game had a window smashed as fans threw bricks, bottles and insults at the vehicle, which arrived under police escort.

Several Turkish journalists and a cameraman were attacked outside the stadium, and BBC television reported that several people, including two of their journalists, were attacked.

Police said they made 23 arrests and reported no serious injuries. The fans dispersed quickly and peacefully after the game.

Police arrest a soccer fan during the match in Leeds on Thursday

The kickoff was delayed about 10 minutes, reportedly because of trouble outside the ground.

"Tensions were obviously high ... there was a small outbreak of disorder prior to the match, involving known troublemakers, but that was soon quelled," said Assistant Chief Constable Paul Garvin.

A moment of silence for slain fans

A moment of silence was observed before the start of the game, and players from both sides wore black armbands for the match.

Police had given the game a "C plus" rating, indicating a very high potential for public disorder.

There had been fears that soccer hooligans from outside the Leeds area might attempt to cause trouble at the game and that thousands of Turkish fans would arrive for the game without tickets.

However, there was little sign of Turkish fans in the city or at the stadium on the day of the game.

Leeds United Chairman Peter Ridsdale spent 120,000 pounds ($190,000) on national newspaper advertisements in both English and Turkish appealing for calm at the match.

More than 350 police were assigned to the game, and more were brought into the area after trouble broke out.

A Turkish prosecutor has charged four men with the murders of the Leeds fans, and 14 others have been charged with assault following the violence before the first match.

Corespondents Jim Bitterman and Gary Imlach and Reuters contributed to this report.

Turkish man confesses to stabbing Leeds fan, police say
April 7, 2000

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