Kewell’s Dillemma
Now i know that Harry Kewell isn’t a Liverpool player anymore, but still, this news is interesting.
Lots of Leeds United (Kewells Former Club) fans are infuriated with Kewell after his move to Turkish side Galatasaray, and the reason is this.
Galatasaray are the team who Leeds faced in 2000 after fans Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus were killed. Kevin Speight,40, and Christopher Loftus,35, were stabbed to death during street rioting/fighting in Istanbul before the semi-final.
An open letter from the player, trying to justify his move, failed to impress Phil Woodhouse of Leeds United supporters outfit Maverick Whites. He said Kewell was “naive” for thinking his reasons will be accepted.
Kewell’s letter :
“My love and respect for Leeds United and what the club has done for me will never change, no matter what anyone says about me and whatever their motives are,” said the letter.
“My sense of sorrow and sympathy for the families and friends of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight will always be with me. I chose the number 19 shirt when I signed for Galatasaray as a sign of respect for Leeds because that was the number I got when I first became a regular member of the Leeds starting XI.
“I felt that it might be a way to demonstrate that I had not forgotten where it all started and I was hoping that in a small way it would help the healing process of the tragedy that occurred on April 5, 2000.
“For me, sport should first and foremost be about the love of your game. But equally important is the respect for not only your team-mates but all those who you compete against.
“For this reason I have always objected to any form of discrimination in any sport and football in particular, as that is the sport that is the most near and dear to me.
“To blame the Galatasaray club for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory.”
In ONE way, I think Kewell is right. Blaming the whole club for rioting fans is not right, since they had nothing to do with it, but I can also understand why many Leeds fans will probably not be Harry Kewell Fans anymore.
Tags: death, galatasaray, kewell, leeds, Liverpool, riot, stab, tragedy
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