Wesley Sneijder apologises to Leeds' fans after posting tweet of Galatasaray-branded knife set on 15th anniversary of fan stabbing

Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight were fatally stabbed by a Turkish man before Leeds’ Uefa Cup clash with Galatasaray in April 2000

Galatasaray midfielder Wesley Sneijder (Getty Images)

Wesley Sneijder has apologised to Leeds' fans after posting a tweet that promoted a Galatasaray-branded knife set which carried an image of his face on the 15th anniversary of the death of two Leeds supporters.

Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight were fatally stabbed by a Turkish man before Leeds’ Uefa Cup clash with Galatasaray in April 2000, and the club will mark the tragic anniversary with a minute’s silence before today’s Sky Bet Championship match against Blackburn.

Galatasaray midfielder Sneijder ill-advisedly tweeted a picture on the knife set to say that the club item was “finally” available, but was quickly met by a furore from angry Leeds fan who condemned the Netherlands international’s action, especially on a weekend that had been dedicated to Loftus and Speight’s memory.

A Leeds spokesman said: "It would be disappointing to see this on any day but especially this weekend when we have a number of tributes planned out of respect for the fans who went to watch their team and never came home."

Sneijder soon deleted his tweet and wrote to one fan that had messaged him to directly apologise, writing: "@Leedsu1Ross Very sorry. I didn't know this and deleted our promotion for the merchandise kitchen item. #Respect."

Ali Umit Demur was sentenced to 15 years in jail for the deaths of Loftus and Speight, with four other men jailed for their part in the horrifying attack.