Hull City chairman applauded for gesture before Leeds United loss
Leeds United Supporters’ Trust has praised Hull City vice-chairman Tan Kesler after he laid flowers outside Elland Road before their Championship clash.
Hull Daily Mail reporter Baz Cooper posted a video on X (31 August) showing Kesler laying the flowers outside a plaque dedicated to the memory of Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight.
Loftus and Speight were killed by Galatasaray fans before Leeds’ UEFA Cup semi-final against the Turkish side in 2000, and Kesler, Turkish himself, laid Hull-coloured flowers beneath their memorial plaque.
The club’s Supporters’ Trust were quick to praise Kesler’s gesture of kindness pre-match, writing: “Class”, and posting an ‘applause’ emoji in a post on X replying to Cooper’s initial video.
Leeds United and Hull City show bond before Championship clash
United likely weren’t expecting to be facing Hull this season after their 3-1 win at Elland Road in April, but their late-season collapse and play-off final defeat consigned them to another season in the second tier.
Hull’s majority-Turkish ownership and the close relationship between the country and Tigers fans in recent years did pose a potential problem for the two clubs, given the tragic story of Loftus and Speight.
The Tigers have previously urged their fans not to bring or show Turkish flags whilst at Elland Road in a bid to address this, and Kesler’s latest actions show how highly he respects United as a club.
April’s match between United and Hull came in the weeks surrounding the anniversary of Loftus and Speight’s deaths, but Kesler showed that the impacts of those events in Istanbul are felt all year round.
To lay flowers outside the stadium pre-match, rather than enjoying the stadium’s corporate hospitality facilities, shows that regardless of the two sides’ rivalries, some things are far more important than football.
In other Leeds United news, journalists have given an update on defender Jayden Bogle after what they saw in the second half against Hull.
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