2000 UEFA Cup final riots

Football riots in Copenhagen, Denmark April 2020 2000 UEFA Cup final riots 17 May 2000 City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark 55 40 33 N 12 34 9 E type:landmark_region:DK inline,title Retaliation attacks for murders of Leeds United fans by Galatasaray fans in Istanbul, and football hooliganism. Riot 19 civilians injured, 60 arrests British hooligan firms The Herd and The Gooners Leeds United Service Crew Chelsea Headhunters Rangers fans Cardiff City fans Swansea City fans Galatasaray fans Danish police Mogens Lauridsen 500+ (approximately) 2,000 The 2000 UEFA Cup final Riots, also known as the Battle of Copenhagen,https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/18/uefa.sport4?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 Copenhagen's hall of shame The Guardian 2000-05-19 2013-04-09 London Paul MacInnes were a series of riots in City Hall Square, Copenhagen, Denmark between fans of English football team Arsenal and Turkish team Galatasaray around the 2000 UEFA Cup final on 17 May 2000. Four people were stabbed in the scuffles, which also involved fans from other clubs and were viewed by the media as part of a retaliation for the killing of two Leeds United fans by Galatasaray supporters the month before. The events of the day started early in the morning when skirmishes broke out in a bar, which led to an Arsenal fan being stabbed. Later in the day, Galatasaray fans occupied City Hall Square before heading towards Arsenal fans in bars nearby. The Galatasaray fans were later attacked from behind by members of British hooligan firms seeking revenge for the Istanbul stabbings. The police had prior warning of potential trouble and deployed 2,000 officers to the area, yet they were unable to control the riot until they fired tear gas. 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. Football authorities condemned the riots and threatened to expel national football teams from European competition if such events happened again. The Danish police were also criticized for their mishandling of the riots. History the Istanbul violence 2000 UEFA Cup semi-final violence thumb|left|Istanbul's Taksim Square was the scene of rioting in the previous round of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. Arsenal qualified for the final by defeating French club Lens in their semi-final. Galatasaray beat English team Leeds United but their matches were marred by violence: two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death before their semi-final first leg at Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul on 6 April 2000.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/704680.stm Turk 'admits' stabbing Leeds fan BBC News BBC 2000-04-07 2013-04-09 The events happened at 22:00 in Istanbul's Taksim Square during a fight between Leeds fans and Galatasaray fans.Chris Morris https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/apr/06/newsstory.uefa Two Leeds fans die in soccer fight The Guardian London 2000-04-06 2013-04-09 Leeds fans had been drinking in bars reportedly taunting local people and Turkish police intervened to stop fights breaking out. There were reports that a Galatasaray fan had run to a telephone to call for support when he saw Leeds fans arriving. Galatasaray fans entered the area shortly afterwards which precipitated a fight between the two sets of supporters. This led to the two Leeds fans being stabbed.Will Woodward Rory Carroll Daniel Taylor Daniel Taylor (journalist) David Ward https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/apr/07/newsstory.sport1 Tragedy that awaited two fans on a journey to hell The Guardian London 2000-04-07 2013-04-09 thumb|right|Galatasaray playing Leeds United during the second leg semi-final match at Elland Road. Only 80 away fans were allowed to attend. It was not clear how the fight started, with reports of it either being started by Leeds fans throwing beer glasses and insulting the Turkish flag,Stokes Paul https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/1392950/Turk-jailed-for-killing-Leeds-fans.html Turk jailed for killing Leeds fans Daily Telegraph 2002-05-02 2013-04-09 or being started by Galatasaray fans throwing chairs. Police arrested Ali Umit Demir and three other men for the stabbings.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/712864.stm Uefa bans Turkish fans BBC News BBC 2000-04-14 2013-04-09 Demir was later found guilty of murder and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but released in 2004. As a result of the stabbings, Leeds United banned Galatasaray fans from attending the second leg at Elland Road, claiming that the safety of fans could not be guaranteed.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=leeds-united-bans-galatasaray-fans-2000-04-09 Leeds United bans Galatasaray fans Hurriyet Daily News Reuters 2000-04-09 2013-04-09 The ban was supported by UEFA and only 80 tickets were issued to Galatasaray for officials and representatives of the Turkish government.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/713835.stm Turks' fury at Uefa ban BBC News BBC 2000-04-15 2013-04-09 The stabbings caused anger throughout the United Kingdom, and subsequently members of Arsenal's hooligan firms The Herd and The Gooners,http://bleacherreport.com/articles/938822-16-hardcore-hooligan-firms-ultras-groups-we-wouldnt-want-to-mess-with#/articles/938822-16-hardcore-hooligan-firms-ultras-groups-we-wouldnt-want-to-mess-with/page/14 https://web.archive.org/web/20111116190610/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/938822-16-hardcore-hooligan-firms-ultras-groups-we-wouldnt-want-to-mess-with#/articles/938822-16-hardcore-hooligan-firms-ultras-groups-we-wouldnt-want-to-mess-with/page/14 dead 16 November 2011 16 Hardcore Hooligan Firms, Ultras Groups We Wouldn't Want to Mess with Bleacher Report 2011-11-15 2013-04-09 Lindsay Eanet wanted to avenge the deaths of the Leeds fans, and telephoned other British hooligan firms, inviting them to join them in Copenhagen to attack Galatasaray fans. It was reported that members of Leeds United's Leeds United Service Crewhttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/Town+in+fear+as+drunken+English+pour+in.-a062808440 Town in fear as drunken English pour in Daily Record The Free Library 2000-06-17 2013-04-09 and Chelsea's Chelsea Headhunters, along with hooligans supporting Rangers, Cardiff City and Swansea City all travelled to Denmark to join Arsenal fans in attacks on Galatasaray fans.Denis Campbell https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/14/uefa.football Soldiers join hooligans to attack Turks in Cup clash The Guardian 2000-05-14 2013-04-09 London This led to the final being considered "high risk"; 2,000 members of the Danish police were assigned to the game, with assistance from members of British and Turkish police forces.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/rival-fans-clash-in-copenhagen-716171.html https://web.archive.org/web/20140125073442/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/rival-fans-clash-in-copenhagen-716171.html dead 25 January 2014 Rival fans clash in Copenhagen The Independent 2000-05-17 2012-04-09 London Events In Copenhagen thumb|Copenhagen's City Hall Square was the site of the riot. On the Wednesday at 1:00, Galatasaray fans attacked a bar in Strøget in Copenhagen, where some Arsenal fans were located.https://www.humanite.fr/node/419934 Arsenal-Galatasaray, sous le signe de la violence Galatasaray-Arsenal, under the sign of the violence L'Humanité 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 fr The Arsenal fans left the bar to confront the Galatasaray fans, which led to a fight lasting for an hour before riot police managed to control it and arrested four Britons and four Turks.http://espn.go.com/soccer/news/2000/0516/535506.html https://archive.today/20130216042159/http://espn.go.com/soccer/news/2000/0516/535506.html dead 16 February 2013 English, Turkish fans clash on eve final ESPN 2000-05-16 2013-04-09 Associated Press In the fight, Paul Dineen, an Arsenal fan, was stabbed, leading to Arsenal offering fans refunds if they did not want to fly to the game.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/17/newsstory.sport3 English fan stabbed in Copenhagen guardian.co.uk Guardian Media Group 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 Dineen was released from hospital later in the day and attended the match as a guest of the Arsenal directors. Throughout the day large numbers of fans, both English and Turkish, were seen throughout the city and at the airport.Folkefest endte i vold og masseslagsmål popular festival ends in violence and mass fights http://www.bt.dk/nyheder/folkefest-endte-i-vold-og-masseslagsmaal 2013-04-09 2000-05-17 BT da Later, large numbers of Galatasaray fans congregated in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, raising the Turkish flag in the square. Arsenal fans congregated in nearby bars. Galatasaray fans attempted to provoke the Arsenal fans in the bars, and the two sides began chanting at each other until bottles were thrown from both sides around 16:00. The Danish police then moved in to separate the fans, and moved the Galatasaray fans back towards the square.Vivek Chaudhary https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/18/uefa.sport Violence erupts again as English and Turkish football fans riot in Copenhagen The Guardian 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 London thumb|left|Fences were installed for the Final, held at Parken Stadium. Then, in a calculated attack, approximately 500 Arsenal fans attacked from the main road behind the Galatasaray fans. This caused a severe riot in the city square, with several restaurant facilities used by fans to fight each other, with iron bars and knives also being used.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/euro2000/sportstalk/753457.stm BBC News BBC Will hooligans ruin Euro 2000? 2000-06-06 2013-04-09 This lasted 20 minutesVivek Chaudhary https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/19/uefa.football Surprise attack by Arsenal fans seeking revenge sparked battle The Guardian 2000-05-19 2013-04-09 London before the Danish police attempted to break up the melee with dogs and tear gas.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/752596.stm Three more stabbed in Copenhagen BBC News BBC 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 The violence, which included fans from other English clubshttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/753142.stm Violence not over, fans warn 2000-05-18 BBC News BBC 2013-04-09 and Turks living in Denmark, lasted for 45 minutes.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/may/27/sport.comment Charleroi lobby yet to learn lessons of Heysel The Guardian 2000-05-26 2013-04-09 London There were further clashes at the airport the day after the game.Vivek Chaudhary Jamie Wilson https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/19/uefa.football1 Turkish and English fans clash at airport The Guardian 2000-05-19 2013-04-09 London At Parken Stadium, where the final was to be played, the police erected iron fencing outside to separate the Arsenal and Galatasaray fans as a precaution. UEFA also requested that fences be put up around the perimeter of the pitch. The riots did not spread to the stadium, although there was an attempt to pull down the fences by fans heading towards the Arsenal area of the stadium before police stopped them. In England and Turkey After the match, which Galatasaray won 4–1 on penalties, approximately 300 Arsenal fans in the Finsbury Park area of Islington in London attacked Turkish restaurants and businesses, with bottles being used to break windows. They then broke into an apartment building to threaten Kosovan refugees with a knife, mistakenly believing them to be Turkish. Six people were arrested and three Metropolitan Police officers were injured.http://espn.go.com/soccer/news/2000/0518/538389.html https://archive.today/20130216033623/http://espn.go.com/soccer/news/2000/0518/538389.html dead 16 February 2013 Tighter controls sought for Euro 2000 2000-05-18 ESPN 2013-04-09 Associated Press In Turkey, nine people were accidentally shot and injured by Galatasaray fans firing guns in celebration despite police warning them not to.https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/18/sports/soccer-roundup-galatasaray-wins-uefa-cup-after-day-of-rioting-by-fans.html Galatasaray Wins UEFA Cup After Day of Rioting by Fans 2000-05-18 The New York Times 2013-04-09 Injuries and arrests In all, four people were stabbed during the riots: two English, one Turkish and one Dutch fan. A Danish police officerhttp://articles.cnn.com/2000-05-17/world/denmark.soccer.04_1_stab-wounds-soccer-fans-british-fans?_s=PM:WORLD https://archive.today/20130119095131/http://articles.cnn.com/2000-05-17/world/denmark.soccer.04_1_stab-wounds-soccer-fans-british-fans?_s=PM:WORLD dead 2013-01-19 Danish police fear more brawls after European soccer final CNN 2000-05-17 2013-04-09 and a Turkish cameraman were also injured in the riots.https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/05/17/british-turkish-soccer-fans-clash/ British, Turkish Soccer Fans Clash Chicago Tribune 2000-05-17 2013-04-09 In total, nineteen people were injured and sixty people were arrested, with 15 of the arrested being subsequently banned from attending Euro 2000.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/757815.stm Riot fans banned from Euro 2000 BBC News BBC 2000-05-21 2013-04-09 Nineteen of the arrested were British, thirty-six were Turkish and the rest of the arrested included people from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/violence-overshadows-historic-soccer-victory.aspx?pageID=438&n=violence-overshadows-historic-soccer-victory-2000-05-20 Violence overshadows historic soccer victory Hurriyet Daily News 2000-05-20 2013-04-09 Associated Press The British fans were later released without charge but were forbidden from returning to Denmark.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/754434.stm Riot suspects free to go 2000-05-18 BBC News BBC 2013-04-09 The rest were fined an equivalent of $500 and banned from Denmark for a year.https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/19/sports/plus-soccer-united-states-men-coach-selects-national-squad.html England apologizes for rioting 2000-05-19 The New York Times 2013-04-09 Associated Press Aftermath The day after the riots, FA Executive Director David Davies, issued an apology for the violence.https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/18/football FA says sorry for Copenhagen riots The Guardian 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 Lennart Johansson, the president of UEFA, made a public statement in which he stated that English fans "cannot be allowed to behave like this again and create havoc. The UK government owes it to everyone concerned to take similar steps to those taken in other countries to stop those troublesome fans from travelling abroad." Johannson also warned the British government that if there was any more rioting, the England national football team could face expulsion from Euro 2000. In response, British Prime Minister Tony Blair stated: Hopefully this threat will bring to their senses anyone tempted to continue the mindless thuggery that had brought such shame to the country.Vivek Chaudhary https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/jun/19/euro2000.sport3 England told: more rioting and you're out The Guardian 2000-06-19 2013-04-09 London Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit also made a call for fans to avoid violence after the riots, stating: Sports should be an initiative for friendship, not for fighting.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/2000/05/16/uefa_riot_ap/ https://web.archive.org/web/20010714164008/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/2000/05/16/uefa_riot_ap/ dead 14 July 2001 More melees CNN 2000-05-16 2013-12-02 In August 2000, Arsenal banned thirty-seven people involved in the Copenhagen riot from Arsenal's Highbury stadium.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/883215.stm Arsenal ban troublemakers BBC News BBC 2000-08-16 2013-04-09 Leeds United also banned three of their fans from Elland Road after they had been identified in pictures of the riots. In the United Kingdom, Arsenal fans were originally blamed for the violence as the police had fixed blame on them. In Turkey, the media portrayed Galatasaray fans as acting in self-defence, with criticism directed at the British fans for allegedly attacking members of the press.Kopenhag Meydan Muharebesi The Battle of Copenhagen http://arsiv.ntvmsnbc.com/news/5794.asp 2013-08-05 2000-05-18 NTV MSNBC tr However, there were conflicting reports, with claims that some Galatasaray fans were instigating some of the violence.http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-shadow-on-the-uefa-cup-triumph.aspx?pageID=438&n=the-shadow-on-the-uefa-cup-triumph-2000-05-20 SPORTS – The shadow on the UEFA Cup triumph Hurriyet Daily News 2000-05-20 2013-04-09 Michael Severn Later on, British media blame also transferred towards Galatasaray fans.Brian Reade https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/how-long-until-turk-fans-538057 How long until Turk fans cause another death on the pitch? Daily Mirror London 2003-06-28 2013-04-09 The Danish police were also criticised for their handling of the riots. Their policing of City Hall Square in the days running up to the final was described as "non-existent" by Dineen.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/751924.stm Teargas fired on fighting fans BBC News BBC 2000-05-17 2013-04-09 It was noted by Turkish newspaper Radikal that cannabis was being freely traded in the city square during the time before the riots, and the police did nothing about it.Kopenhag'a 'made in Turkey' damgası Copenhagen 'made in Turkey' stamp http://www.radikal.com.tr/2000/05/18/spor/05kop.shtml 2013-07-18 2000-05-18 Radikal tr Arsenal fans also criticised the police, claiming that they had been slow to intervene and were "too soft" on the hooligans. It was claimed that the police failed to control the riots,http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62159106.html https://web.archive.org/web/20131106075014/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62159106.html usurped 2013-11-06 They came to kill; Turk fans arm for war Daily Mirror London 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 Paul Byrne HighBeam Research subscription and that they had been undermanned and outmaneuvered, to which Mogens Lauridsen, the police chief in Copenhagen admitted that the police had been "under-prepared".http://www.independent.ie/world-news/copenhagen-police-overrun-as-soccer-fans-cause-mayhem-376842.html Copenhagen police overrun as soccer fans cause mayhem Irish Independent 2000-05-18 2013-04-09 This came after Arsenal had warned the police before the final that there could be hooligans travelling to Copenhagen.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/2000/05/10/arsenal_hooligans_ap/ https://web.archive.org/web/20010626204040/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/2000/05/10/arsenal_hooligans_ap/ dead 26 June 2001 Arsenal worried about hooligans at UEFA Cup CNN 2000-05-10 2013-04-09 Associated Press thumb|right|Arsenal invited Galatasaray to play in the Emirates Cup of 2013. In the United Kingdom, the Daily Mirror newspaper printed pictures of Arsenal fans alleged to have been part of the violence.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FACES+OF+HATRED.-a062192124 Faces of Hatred Daily Mirror London 2000-05-19 2013-06-18 It later arose that the majority of the people in the photos were either not involved or had been acting in self-defence. The photos led to some postmen working for Royal Mail losing their jobs because they had been seen in the photos and in television coverage,http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FIRST+CLASS+THUGS%3B+Postmen+are+caught+in+Copenhagen+football+rampage.-a062360295 First class thugs; Postmen are caught in Copenhagen football rampage Daily Mirror London 2000-05-29 2013-03-13 even though they had not been arrested.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1629997.stm Post Office refuses to reinstate worker BBC News BBC 2001-10-31 2013-03-13 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.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1489112.stm Post worker was 'hardened hooligan' BBC News BBC 2001-08-13 2013-03-13 In 2001, the tribunal ruled in their favour,M. Doherty v Consignia ET/2205635/00 UK Employment Tribunal 2001 and ordered Royal Mail to reinstate them.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1621024.stm Sacked Post Office worker reinstated BBC News BBC 2001-10-26 2013-03-13 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.O'Tage Sab http://www.sabotagetimes.com/football-sport/piers-morgan-on-arsenal/ Piers Morgan On Arsenal, Foreign Ownership and Twitter Rants Sabotage Times 2012-04-13 2013-04-09 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20120417025530/http://www.sabotagetimes.com/football-sport/piers-morgan-on-arsenal/ 2012-04-17 In 2013, Arsenal invited Galatasaray to compete at their annual Emirates Cup tournament. Some Arsenal fans reacted negatively to the news, claiming that there was still bad blood between the two sets of supporters and were concerned that there would be a resumption of hostilities between them.https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2013/8/3/4585632/arsenal-galatasaray-emirates-cup-2013-preview Arsenal vs Galatasaray SB Nation 2013-05-15 2020-05-17 See also Arsenal F.C. in European football Galatasaray S.K. in European football References Category:1999–2000 in English football Category:1999–2000 in Turkish football Riots Riots Category:1999–2000 in Danish football Category:2000 in international relations Category:2000 riots Category:2000 crimes in Denmark Category:2000 in Copenhagen Category:Arsenal F.C. Category:Association football hooliganism Category:Galatasaray S.K. (men's football) Category:May 2000 crimes in Europe Category:May 2000 in Europe Category:Riots and civil disorder in Denmark Category:Association football riots Category:Vesterbro, Copenhagen 2000