A Manchester City fans' tribute to two Leeds United fans killed in Istanbul more than 20-years-ago brought a 'tear' to the eye of one of the fans there on that tragic night.
Man City fans are in Istanbul for tonight's (June 10) Champions League Final against Inter Milan. City hope to return home with the trophy and nothing but happy memories, however, 23-years-ago on April 5, 2000, it was the city that provided one of Leeds United's darkest days.
Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight were stabbed to death by Turkish football fans in Istanbul that night on the eve of Leeds’ Uefa Cup semi-final first leg against local side Galatasaray. Despite the tragedy the game went ahead just 24-hours later. It's an incident that sticks with Leeds fans to this day, with tributes paid to the tragic pair regularly.
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Man City fan John Stevenson, 54, is in the city for the Champions League final and paid tribute to the fallen Leeds fans in Taksim Square on Friday. It is a heartfelt action that has been widely praised by not just Leeds United fans.
Gareth Senior, 53, said that seeing John pay tribute to Chris and Kevin brought back memories of a "very difficult period". As part of the tribute, Mr Stevenson, from Cheshire, laid a photo of the dead fans and a Leeds United scarf beside a tree in the square.
Mr Senior, from Morley in Leeds, told the PA news agency that he had travelled to Istanbul in 2000 with Mr Loftus and Mr Speight, and had been in the bar with them on the night that they died. "Seeing (the tribute) brought back memories of a very difficult period," he said.
"I know that for Andy Loftus, Chris’ brother, it brought a tear. As it did to me a little bit if I’m honest with you.
"It’s lovely that their memories live on through other football fans who don’t forget. It made you feel quite proud as well that people still remember their memory, and that people shouldn’t go to a football game and not come home."
Mr Stevenson said he laid the picture and scarf because he wanted to "pay tribute" to the fallen fans. "I’ve followed City for years, home and away, and the thought of two fans and what they went through, and their families," he said.
"I just thought, in this city, in this massive occasion for Man City – a defining moment hopefully – it would be nice to pay tribute to two football fans."
He said he knew lots of Leeds fans, and he "was honoured" when they asked him if he could do something as a tribute. "I thought it was a nice tribute as the square was full of City fans and Inter Milan fans all getting along," he said.
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