The 5th of April 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the tragic murders of Christopher Loftus & Kevin Speight on the eve of Leeds United’s UEFA Cup semi-final in Istanbul.

Though much has been said about the events of that night, the Coroner was very clear in his summary that a group of 25 to 30 Leeds fans were drinking peacefully in a bar when they were attacked by between 500 to 700 individuals, many armed with knives and other weapons, and that the subsequent stories of misbehavior from Leeds fans that surfaced straight after the events of that fateful night were fabricated by locals to protect their people.

We cannot change history but what we have done is to keep their memories alive and do good things for great charities in their name and make sure that both Chris & Kev are never forgotten.

On the 10th anniversary in 2010, many individual fundraising events were held in their memory and a staggering £140,000 was raised and donated to Candlelighters.

Candlelighters are a Leeds based, independent, charity who provide vital care and support for children and young adults who suffer from various cancers. They are an amazing organisation and it gives us great pleasure to announce that our fundraising for this year will also be donated in full to Candlelighters.

We are staging a large event at the Centenary Pavilion at Elland Road on Friday 4th April where the family & friends of Chris & Kev will be joined by ex-players from that era and other dignitaries to celebrate their lives and remember them positively.

What we want to do now is bring the football community together and give those who can’t join us on the night and those who love football an opportunity to donate to this great cause in their memory. All donations, no matter how large or small are gratefully welcomed.

Everyone who donates will be entered into a draw to win a prize, and we’ll make it a decent one!

Our aim is to raise £25,000, a thousand pounds for each year that has passed. Football fans are, on the whole, great people. They understand the importance of rivalry and everything that comes with it but they all know that everyone should come home safely from a game. No matter who you support and your thoughts on Leeds United, please spread this link far and wide. It’s an amazing charity so let’s make this go viral over the World and show the great side of our beautiful game.

Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your donations

With love and best wishes from the family & friends of Christopher Loftus & Kevin Speight