On April 5th 2000, two Leeds fans, Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight were fatally stabbed the night preceding Leeds' UEFA cup semi final against Galatasaray in which Harry Kewell, alongside the rest of the O'Leary babes played in. 8 years later, Kewell signed for Galatasaray in a move which prompted uproar from the LS11 faithful and today he was released from Qatari club Al-Gharafa. This again brought the skeletons out of the cupboard and as the 'should we', 'shouldn't we' arguments start up again we look at whether it would be right to accept Kewell back into the club.
THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION
Kewell was there that night. He knew what happened and saw first hand the affect the tragedy had on the club. To then move to the club whose fans brutally murdered two of our own, upset and annoyed a great many Leeds fans who both attended that game and those who watched on from home. This alone would be enough to put many a Leeds fan off him, but when Kewell was sold to Liverpool, both he and his agent took a large sum out of the transfer fee, when the club needed it most. 2 out of the 5 million pound transfer fee went to kewell's unregistered agent, Bernie Mandic and after allegations from Gary Lineker, Kewell was embroiled in a court case against Lineker, which was eventually settled away from the courtroom. So, apart from ripping Leeds off and going to what appears to be a truly vile club what else is there to say against Kewell? Well, he is an injury prone player (many of you will remember Kewell limping off after half an hour in the 2005 Champions League Final) and his subsequent seasons at Liverpool and Galatasaray were hampered by a number of injuries, he only mustered 2 appearances in the whole of the 2006/07 season for the reds. Also, his career is beginning to look like that of a journeyman looking for one last payday and at 34, you wonder how much he has left in him.
THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
After all of that, you'd think it hard to find a defence for Kewell, but here goes. Harry Kewell is not a bad player, yes he now lacks the pace he once had, but he would be a useful squad player and I firmly believe that he would be able to play the role Diouf does, lacking athleticism but has experience in spades. Kewell has played in a Champions League Final, FA Cup final and an Asian Cup final. An experienced international, Kewell represented the Socceroos 54 times and he played in two World Cups for Australia. Yes, Galatasaray fans committed atrocious acts, but is it right to condemn an entire football club for the actions of a very small minority; how did we all feel after Leeds fans were labelled 'scum' and 'vile' by the nation's press after the actions of one rogue fan earlier this year. Leeds fans may associate Galatasaray with the murders, but it is the criminals who we should associate the crime with not the organisation. In the 1980s Leeds fans were involved in many violent fights, some of which ended tragically. Would we as Leeds fans be happy to be judged today on our violent past? As for the money situation, Kewell was a boyhood Liverpool fan and it is clear that this was a dream move for him and I would be prepared to forgive him for this if he returned on a reduced wage. Kewell knows that he has upset many Leeds fans, but he still loves the club, and what better way to show your love than by guiding them back to the top flight.
THE VERDICT
I wouldn't be against Kewell returning to the club on the moral issues and if Brian McDermott thinks he is good enough then I will give him my full support. I know I am well in the minority here but that's just my view, make up your own minds. I will leave you with one message though,
THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION
Kewell was there that night. He knew what happened and saw first hand the affect the tragedy had on the club. To then move to the club whose fans brutally murdered two of our own, upset and annoyed a great many Leeds fans who both attended that game and those who watched on from home. This alone would be enough to put many a Leeds fan off him, but when Kewell was sold to Liverpool, both he and his agent took a large sum out of the transfer fee, when the club needed it most. 2 out of the 5 million pound transfer fee went to kewell's unregistered agent, Bernie Mandic and after allegations from Gary Lineker, Kewell was embroiled in a court case against Lineker, which was eventually settled away from the courtroom. So, apart from ripping Leeds off and going to what appears to be a truly vile club what else is there to say against Kewell? Well, he is an injury prone player (many of you will remember Kewell limping off after half an hour in the 2005 Champions League Final) and his subsequent seasons at Liverpool and Galatasaray were hampered by a number of injuries, he only mustered 2 appearances in the whole of the 2006/07 season for the reds. Also, his career is beginning to look like that of a journeyman looking for one last payday and at 34, you wonder how much he has left in him.
THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
After all of that, you'd think it hard to find a defence for Kewell, but here goes. Harry Kewell is not a bad player, yes he now lacks the pace he once had, but he would be a useful squad player and I firmly believe that he would be able to play the role Diouf does, lacking athleticism but has experience in spades. Kewell has played in a Champions League Final, FA Cup final and an Asian Cup final. An experienced international, Kewell represented the Socceroos 54 times and he played in two World Cups for Australia. Yes, Galatasaray fans committed atrocious acts, but is it right to condemn an entire football club for the actions of a very small minority; how did we all feel after Leeds fans were labelled 'scum' and 'vile' by the nation's press after the actions of one rogue fan earlier this year. Leeds fans may associate Galatasaray with the murders, but it is the criminals who we should associate the crime with not the organisation. In the 1980s Leeds fans were involved in many violent fights, some of which ended tragically. Would we as Leeds fans be happy to be judged today on our violent past? As for the money situation, Kewell was a boyhood Liverpool fan and it is clear that this was a dream move for him and I would be prepared to forgive him for this if he returned on a reduced wage. Kewell knows that he has upset many Leeds fans, but he still loves the club, and what better way to show your love than by guiding them back to the top flight.
THE VERDICT
I wouldn't be against Kewell returning to the club on the moral issues and if Brian McDermott thinks he is good enough then I will give him my full support. I know I am well in the minority here but that's just my view, make up your own minds. I will leave you with one message though,
'Kewell is a son of Leeds. You never turn your back on a son'