LEEDS fans were heard booing while a man whose son got stabbed to death was addressing supporters at Loftus Road on Friday.
QPR youth player Kiyan Prince was 15 when he was killed outside his school gates in Edgware while trying to peacefully break up a fight between peers in 2006.
PA:Press AssociationKiyan Prince was stabbed at his school gates in Edgware[/caption]
RexDr Mark Prince OBE appealed to end knife and gun crime at Loftus Road[/caption]
And his grieving father Dr Mark Prince OBE, speaking ahead of the 18th anniversary of his son’s death, appealed on the pitch at half-time for an end to knife and gun crime on our streets.
And he also spoke about The Kiyan Prince Foundation that works with youths in a bid to reduce violent crime.
Yet he was met by loud boos from a section of the travelling supporters.
Prince asked them: “Are you booing? Wow! You’ve got family? You have got kids, haven’t you?”
Let’s not forget two Leeds fans – Kevin Speight, 40, and Christopher Loftus, 37 – were stabbed to death in Turkey ahead of the Uefa Cup semi-final with Galatasaray in April 2000.
Thankfully, Leeds fans turned on the hecklers and their supporters groups have been quick to apologise
Leeds United Supporters’ Trust said: “LUST & LUSC would like to address the booing during Mark Prince’s speech at half time of last night’s game, and would like to offer our sincere apologies.
“To provide some context, the fans in the away end were unable to hear the content being spoken due to the quality of the sound system, or see the big screen, which led to a frustrated and unfortunate reaction during Mark’s speech.
“Leeds United have spoken to us and said that they weren’t made aware that Mark was going to be speaking at half time, otherwise communications would have been issued to supporters before the game.
“The club will also be reaching out to QPR and Mark individually to apologise for the incident.
“As a group of fans that know all too well the dangers of knife crime, we would like to assure those connected to Mark and the wider QPR family that had our fans understood the importance and sensitive nature of the speech last night, in no way would Leeds fans have reacted in the way they did.
“We also want to acknowledge the great work the Kiyan Prince Foundation does.
“We pass on our sincere apologies to Mark, his family, the fans and to QPR.”
Mark Prince issued a response on behalf of the Kiyan Prince Foundation.
He said: “When I went up to do the speech to the QPR fans a lot of the Leeds fans were booing.
“My heart has already been broken into a million pieces, so some booing from Leeds fans is not going to damage me.
“I have spent the last 18 years building and working for a great team of people to build the Kiyan Prince Foundation.
“We care about everybody’s young people, we care about people in our community and a few Leeds fans do not represent the whole of Leeds United.
My heart has already been broken into a million pieces
Dr Mark Prince OBE
“We have nothing against Leeds, the CEO has already messaged and apologised as have fans.
“It is silly to take it any further or make it deeper than that.
“You are always going to people in life who may not see things in the way we see things.
“It is all love.”
The QPR Supporters’ Trust also responded to the statement on social media.
A statement read: “QPR1st Supporters Trust welcomes today’s statement from @lufctrust and @LUSCExec (Trust and Supporters Club).
“The events at half time were unsavoury to say the least, and went some way towards spoiling an otherwise wonderful night for QPR fans in the stadium.
“Mark prince OBE is a hugely respected and loved figure for what he has achieved in turning the dreadful untimely death of his son into a positive for the wider community.
“We accept that there are mitigating factors behind the negative response of some away fans. We acknowledge that knife crime is also a subject very close to the hearts of the Leeds fanbase.
“We thank the Leeds fans groups for their words and efforts to reach out and make amends. Knife crime is a scourge across the country, both north and south.
“We look forward to supporting Mark and the Kiyan Prince Foundation (@TheKPF) in the years to come.”
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