ThreeLions
04-04-2003, 01:00 PM
Well now we know!
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TURKISH STAR'S DEATH THREATS TO ENGLAND PLAYERS
ENGLAND players were subjected to a barrage of death threats during the final minutes of their hate-filled Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday.
As the match began to slip away, Turkish midfielder Tugay and his team-mates began to hurl vicious taunts at their opponents, targeting David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand.
Tugay warned: "When Beckham and Ferdinand come to Istanbul they are going to die. You cannot imagine how horrible the things will be that will happen to you."
An England player said last night: "They were totally out of control and were making all these threats that they said were promises."
Alpay, Tugay and Bulent were also allegedly involved in a mass brawl in the tunnel with Ferdinand, Beckham and Gary Neville together with several members of the England coaching staff.
Fans also tried to get into the tunnel and it is believed one England supporter joined in the brawl.
The match in Turkey on October 11 is the final tie of the qualifying campaign and England will probably need to avoid defeat to secure an automatic spot in next year's finals in Portugal.
The grudge encounter is expected to be played in Galatasaray's notoriously hostile Ali Sami Yen Stadium in the heart of Istanbul.
The venue is famous for the intensity of the atmosphere it generates and the banners Turkish fans plaster around the stadium saying "Welcome to Hell". Security worries about the tie were high even before the revelations of Turkish threats.
And the murder of two Leeds fans in Istanbul on the club's visit there a few years ago has left a legacy of festering hatred between rival sets of fans.
That dislike now appears to have spread to the two groups of players too, with Steven Gerrard left sporting a cut face after apparently being scratched by Turkish captain Bulent.
UEFA yesterday confirmed they will carry out a full investigation into the crowd trouble but no punishment is likely for the tunnel clashes.
FA head of communications Paul Newman said: "There was a packed tunnel at the end of a tense match full of total commitment and passion from both sides, rather than a classical musical recital." Swiss referee Urs Meier has mentioned the crowd problems but not the player bust-ups in his match report, while Slovakia have made a formal approach to UEFA insisting they are concerned about their players' security for the qualifier at Middlesbrough in June.
Slovakia were ordered to play their qualifier with Liechtenstein behind closed doors on Wednesday night after UEFA found their fans guilty of racially abusing England's black players in Bratislava in October.
It now puts pressure on UEFA to inflict similar punishment on the FA.
On top of all the other problems on and off the pitch the FA are also investigating allegations that Turkish fans and players were racially abused.
Paul Barber, the FA's director of marketing and communications, said: "We are concerned about instances of racist chanting which have been reported to the police and we strongly condemn such behaviour by any fans."
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BECKHAM: I BLEW TURKS KISS AFTER SEX SLURS
He was target of dirty tricks
David Mcdonnell
DAVID BECKHAM admitted he blew a series of mock kisses to Turkey's foul-mouthed players in response to taunts about his sexuality.
The England skipper was targeted by the Turks throughout Wednesday's epic 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light but kept his composure in the face of extreme verbal and physical provocation.
And as he embraced Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville after converting the injury-time penalty which sealed the win, Turkey defender Umit Davala branded Beckham a homosexual.
"One of their players questioned my sexuality so I just blew him a kiss," said Beckham afterwards, with a wry smile. "There was a lot of provocation out there but the England players were amazing.
"You're going to get those kind of things happening in a game like that because there was a passionate atmosphere. You're going to get involved in things, you can't avoid that.
"I'm sure people will say the red mist was coming back, but it wasn't.
"After I was booked early on, I kept calm for the rest of the game and the whole team produced an amazing performance." The full extent of Turkey's dirty tricks campaign emerged after the final whistle.
Beckham revealed how England players were kicked, pinched and verbally abused in an attempt to provoke them into losing their cool.
Becks claimed the Turks also tried to influence experienced referee Urs Meier, but was full of praise for the way his team-mates refused to rise to the bait and ended the game with their dignity intact.
"When you get players talking to the ref like Turkey did, sometimes he can be swayed," said Becks. "But thankfully he wasn't.
"There were little kicks and pinches going on all the time. One of their players pinched Rio Ferdinand on the arm and tried to get him to react to certain things. But we kept our nerve and got on with it.
"We needed to answer a few questions after the game against Liechtenstein and we did. There was loads of passion from us so-called 'no-hopers' and perhaps we proved a few people wrong."
Gary Neville accused Turkey of talking themselves up too much before the game and claimed their arrogant belief they would easily beat England cost them dear. He, like Beckham, revelled in England's moment of triumph and made a talking gesture with his hand towards the Turkey bench at the final whistle, a clear reference to their hollow boasts before the game.
It so infuriated the Turkey Under-21 coach he had to be restrained by a steward.
The Manchester United defender said: "Turkey's mistake before the game was thinking they were going to come here and beat us, and publicly saying it.
"Sometimes you can be made to look a fool when you start saying things like that. We know there's a long way to go and we won't be saying we're going to go on and win the group.
"They tried to intimidate us and the referee. They thought they could come into our country and on to our pitch and were just going to roll over. That was never going to happen. Turkey talked a lot leading up to the game, but when you cross the white line onto the pitch, the talking's got to stop and you've got to play. Talking yourself up before a game is dangerous.
"They'd seen the game against Liechtenstein and I think they thought they would come here and just roll us over.
"But they'd never scored a goal against us and still haven't. Why should they do that? We're England, one of the best two or three leagues in the world. We proved that with this victory."
Gareth Southgate added: "The Turkish players have a reputation throughout the game for being volatile."
Southgate, overlooked for the game after making the squad, witnessed the confrontation in the players' tunnel after the match.
"It was a bit hectic," he said. "There was a bit of pushing and a lot of banter.
"They were shouting, 'Wait until you come to Turkey', with fingers being passed across throats. And that was just the kit man.
"These things happen when the adrenalin is pumping though and it all calmed down pretty quickly."
The Turkey players were angered from the start by the jeering that greeted their national anthem.
The unsavoury end to the night wrecked FA hopes of rebuilding relations with their Turkish counterparts after the bad feeling dating back to the murder of two Leeds fans in Istanbul three seasons ago.
----------
TURKISH STAR'S DEATH THREATS TO ENGLAND PLAYERS
ENGLAND players were subjected to a barrage of death threats during the final minutes of their hate-filled Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday.
As the match began to slip away, Turkish midfielder Tugay and his team-mates began to hurl vicious taunts at their opponents, targeting David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand.
Tugay warned: "When Beckham and Ferdinand come to Istanbul they are going to die. You cannot imagine how horrible the things will be that will happen to you."
An England player said last night: "They were totally out of control and were making all these threats that they said were promises."
Alpay, Tugay and Bulent were also allegedly involved in a mass brawl in the tunnel with Ferdinand, Beckham and Gary Neville together with several members of the England coaching staff.
Fans also tried to get into the tunnel and it is believed one England supporter joined in the brawl.
The match in Turkey on October 11 is the final tie of the qualifying campaign and England will probably need to avoid defeat to secure an automatic spot in next year's finals in Portugal.
The grudge encounter is expected to be played in Galatasaray's notoriously hostile Ali Sami Yen Stadium in the heart of Istanbul.
The venue is famous for the intensity of the atmosphere it generates and the banners Turkish fans plaster around the stadium saying "Welcome to Hell". Security worries about the tie were high even before the revelations of Turkish threats.
And the murder of two Leeds fans in Istanbul on the club's visit there a few years ago has left a legacy of festering hatred between rival sets of fans.
That dislike now appears to have spread to the two groups of players too, with Steven Gerrard left sporting a cut face after apparently being scratched by Turkish captain Bulent.
UEFA yesterday confirmed they will carry out a full investigation into the crowd trouble but no punishment is likely for the tunnel clashes.
FA head of communications Paul Newman said: "There was a packed tunnel at the end of a tense match full of total commitment and passion from both sides, rather than a classical musical recital." Swiss referee Urs Meier has mentioned the crowd problems but not the player bust-ups in his match report, while Slovakia have made a formal approach to UEFA insisting they are concerned about their players' security for the qualifier at Middlesbrough in June.
Slovakia were ordered to play their qualifier with Liechtenstein behind closed doors on Wednesday night after UEFA found their fans guilty of racially abusing England's black players in Bratislava in October.
It now puts pressure on UEFA to inflict similar punishment on the FA.
On top of all the other problems on and off the pitch the FA are also investigating allegations that Turkish fans and players were racially abused.
Paul Barber, the FA's director of marketing and communications, said: "We are concerned about instances of racist chanting which have been reported to the police and we strongly condemn such behaviour by any fans."
----------
BECKHAM: I BLEW TURKS KISS AFTER SEX SLURS
He was target of dirty tricks
David Mcdonnell
DAVID BECKHAM admitted he blew a series of mock kisses to Turkey's foul-mouthed players in response to taunts about his sexuality.
The England skipper was targeted by the Turks throughout Wednesday's epic 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light but kept his composure in the face of extreme verbal and physical provocation.
And as he embraced Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville after converting the injury-time penalty which sealed the win, Turkey defender Umit Davala branded Beckham a homosexual.
"One of their players questioned my sexuality so I just blew him a kiss," said Beckham afterwards, with a wry smile. "There was a lot of provocation out there but the England players were amazing.
"You're going to get those kind of things happening in a game like that because there was a passionate atmosphere. You're going to get involved in things, you can't avoid that.
"I'm sure people will say the red mist was coming back, but it wasn't.
"After I was booked early on, I kept calm for the rest of the game and the whole team produced an amazing performance." The full extent of Turkey's dirty tricks campaign emerged after the final whistle.
Beckham revealed how England players were kicked, pinched and verbally abused in an attempt to provoke them into losing their cool.
Becks claimed the Turks also tried to influence experienced referee Urs Meier, but was full of praise for the way his team-mates refused to rise to the bait and ended the game with their dignity intact.
"When you get players talking to the ref like Turkey did, sometimes he can be swayed," said Becks. "But thankfully he wasn't.
"There were little kicks and pinches going on all the time. One of their players pinched Rio Ferdinand on the arm and tried to get him to react to certain things. But we kept our nerve and got on with it.
"We needed to answer a few questions after the game against Liechtenstein and we did. There was loads of passion from us so-called 'no-hopers' and perhaps we proved a few people wrong."
Gary Neville accused Turkey of talking themselves up too much before the game and claimed their arrogant belief they would easily beat England cost them dear. He, like Beckham, revelled in England's moment of triumph and made a talking gesture with his hand towards the Turkey bench at the final whistle, a clear reference to their hollow boasts before the game.
It so infuriated the Turkey Under-21 coach he had to be restrained by a steward.
The Manchester United defender said: "Turkey's mistake before the game was thinking they were going to come here and beat us, and publicly saying it.
"Sometimes you can be made to look a fool when you start saying things like that. We know there's a long way to go and we won't be saying we're going to go on and win the group.
"They tried to intimidate us and the referee. They thought they could come into our country and on to our pitch and were just going to roll over. That was never going to happen. Turkey talked a lot leading up to the game, but when you cross the white line onto the pitch, the talking's got to stop and you've got to play. Talking yourself up before a game is dangerous.
"They'd seen the game against Liechtenstein and I think they thought they would come here and just roll us over.
"But they'd never scored a goal against us and still haven't. Why should they do that? We're England, one of the best two or three leagues in the world. We proved that with this victory."
Gareth Southgate added: "The Turkish players have a reputation throughout the game for being volatile."
Southgate, overlooked for the game after making the squad, witnessed the confrontation in the players' tunnel after the match.
"It was a bit hectic," he said. "There was a bit of pushing and a lot of banter.
"They were shouting, 'Wait until you come to Turkey', with fingers being passed across throats. And that was just the kit man.
"These things happen when the adrenalin is pumping though and it all calmed down pretty quickly."
The Turkey players were angered from the start by the jeering that greeted their national anthem.
The unsavoury end to the night wrecked FA hopes of rebuilding relations with their Turkish counterparts after the bad feeling dating back to the murder of two Leeds fans in Istanbul three seasons ago.