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Five wounded in celebration Turks commemorate Galatasaray's win through the night
Posted: Friday April 21, 2000 02:19 PM
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Stray bullets fired by celebrating fans wounded five people during all-night partying by Turkish soccer fans, police said Friday. After celebrating through the night, hundreds of Turks gathered at Istanbul's airport early Friday to welcome back Galatasaray, the first Turkish team to reach the finals of a major European competition. The players were greeted by the team's anthem played on drums and traditional clarinets. Galatasaray qualified for UEFA cup final Thursday after drawing 2-2 against Leeds United in England on Thursday to win 4-2 on aggregate. With the blow of the final whistle in Leeds, Turks across the country poured into the streets for impromptu parties and fireworks, most honking the horns of their cars and waving the team's red and yellow flag. All newspapers devoted their front page to Galatasaray's win. "No one can hold us back," wrote daily Turkiye. "The other English are next," the paper said in reference to Arsenal, which Galatasaray is to play in the final in Copenhagen on May 17. "The footsteps of Turkish sport can now be heard in Europe," said Deputy Prime Minister and far-right party leader Devlet Bahceli. The victory was seen as a national one, especially after UEFA, European soccer's governing body, banned Galatasaray fans from attending the match in Leeds fearing violence in reprisal for the stabbing deaths of two Leeds United fans in Istanbul two weeks ago. Many Turks believed the decision was unfair and cabinet ministers and other politicians flew to Leeds to give support. "They blamed the incidents caused by a [handful] of delinquents on 65 million Turks. But Leeds' and UEFA's plans of a psychological war on Galatasaray did not work," wrote Hurriyet newspaper, announcing the beginning of "a new era." On Friday, some fans wore red and yellow clothing to schools and work. Even a television anchorwoman wore a conspicuous red and yellow scarf round her neck. Celebrations went into neighboring Azerbaijan, which has close cultural links to Turkey. A man was seriously injured in the head by a ricocheting bullet after revelers fired shots in the air in the southeastern city of Mus. Four others were wounded in similar episodes in Ankara and the Aegean port city of Izmir, police said. Several people have been killed or injured by stray bullets in past celebrations after major victories. The police asked celebrating fans to not use guns. Another man accidentally shot himself with his shotgun while a youth was stabbed in a street fight in Ankara, where police detained 11 fans for firing guns, the Anatolia news agency said. With the highly charged match over, some said it was time for the country to fight soccer violence. "This was not a simple incident caused by some youths succumbing to anger. This is the result of Turkish hooliganism," wrote Mehmet Y. Yilmaz a commentator for Radikal newspaper over the deaths of Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight on the eve of the first-leg match. In Leeds, English supporters fought with police, attacked camera crews and smashed a window of a bus carrying Galatasaray officials ahead of the match.
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