Soccer Fans Killed In Turkey
Two British soccer fans were stabbed to death Wednesday in violent street clashes with Turkish youths a day before a European cup game, officials said.
At least 11 other soccer fans, including six Britons, were injured in the fighting and rushed to hospitals with cuts and bruises, police said.
The clashes erupted after a group of Leeds United fans, who are in Istanbul to watch their team play Turkey's Galatasaray in a UEFA cup semifinal, left a bar near Taksim Square, a popular entertainment district. The scuffles broke out after one of the Leeds fans insulted a group of men sitting in a parked van, the Anatolia news agency said.
But wherever the responsibility lied, the violence was certain to put the spotlight back on English soccer which has been dogged by violence for the last two decades. England is vying to stage the 2006 World Cup finals, and has been at pains to convince other countries that its problems are now mostly a thing of the past.
Tuesday's violence will also heighten fears that the European Championship finals in Holland and Belgium in June will marred by trouble among rival fans. England and Germany two of the countries with the worst records of soccer hooliganism meet in a potentially explosive encounter on June 17.
Two Britons died from stab wounds in a hospital, Britain's Foreign Office said
Britain's Foreign Office identified the first vhcp560s Christopher Loftus, but did not immediately name the second.
Turkish officials identified him as Christopher Laffause, and said his brother was among the injured.
It is the first time in years that a Turkish team has made it to the UEFA semifinals. Turkish supporters are fanatical, and frequently fire flares and fireworks during games. Visiting teams are often greeted with signs reading: "Welcome to Hell."
Turkey's ATV television showed footage of an English fan lying in a pool of blood while another fan tried to resuscitate him. Star television showed Turkish fans hurling chairs at two British fans. Youths were also seen attacking Leeds fans with planks.
Private news channel NTV television said police charged at fans to stop the riots and chased rival groups down side streets. At least 25 people, including British fans, were arrested.
There were conflicting reports on the condition of the injured. A police officer, speaking on condition that his name not be used, said none of the injured was in any life-threatening danger. Anatolia reported that one Leeds fan was in serious condition.
Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale, speaking from the hospital where the injured fans were being treated, said the evening had been "pretty chaotic."
"There has been no time to examine who has done what and who has not done what," he told the BBC. "The most important thing is to make sure people get the right treatment."
A Leeds club spokesman said it was still too ealy to know whether the game would go ahead.
"Tonight is going down as one of those black nights in history," he said. "Clearly this has put a large question mark over the match."
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