A Manchester Ciy fan says his dream trip to see his team in the Champions League final turned into a 'nightmare' after he was detained, beaten and deported without explanation.
Jamie Royle, 36, from Failsworth, claims he was struck with a cosh and handcuffed by border police before being dragged into a room where he was attacked, just minutes after landing at Istanbul Airport.
He says he was then held there overnight before being forced onto a flight back to Manchester the following morning meaning he missed out on witnessing the Blues' historic treble triumph.
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Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Labour's Deputy Leader Angela Rayner have now spoken out and are demanding answers as why dad-of-two Jamie, who still is still none the wiser but suspects it may have been a case of mistaken identity, was treated as he was.
Jamie spent £1,400 on flights and a ticket for City's showpiece clash against Inter Milan at Istanbul's Ataturk Stadium last month.He arrived on a Turkish Airlines flight at around 7:40 pm on Friday, June 9, the day before the match.
He said it was as he stood in the queue at passport control that things started to go so drastically wrong. "Someone grabbed my left arm, I panicked a bit as I had my bag on with all my money in and stuff. They grabbed me and pulled me out.
"The next thing I felt a whack on the back of my leg and they dragged me across the marble floor. They were being dead heavy with me kneeing me in the chest. I was asking them 'what's going on?' and as they started being really heavy with me, I started shouting 'help me' but no one did.
"They put handcuffs me on and they were digging into my hands really hard. The next thing they have dragged me around a corner, to a room with a big steel door and once they shut the door, they kicked me in the back. I was cuffed at this point so I whacked my head on the wall.
"They were really heavy with me, pushing me, kneeing me. It was just really brutal. I think there was five of them in there. It was nasty, really nasty. No one told me what was going on, no one read me rights or whatever. All the way through one one ever gave me an answer."
The handcuffs were eventually taken off and Jamie was given his phone and bag back, though when he took a photograph of one of his attackers, who were wearing uniforms with 'police' written on them, he said the officer punched him, snatched his phone and deleted the image.
He said he was eventually taken to a room where asylum seekers are processed and was told he had a 'life ban' from Turkey. "I said 'look I've got my ticket, I've flown here, I've paid a lot of money...' and the guy said 'No, no you'll be going home first thing in the morning. You're banned."
"I had a lot of time to think that night and I was still confused, but I do think it must be a case of mistaken identity. At one point someone came in and took a picture of my passport on their phone.
"I think after they've taken me in that room and been heavy with me, that they realised I wasn't the person they were looking for, but they've thought they've thought 'we've gone this far let's just get him back to Manchester.'"
He says he was told to get some sleep before being woken and escorted onto an early morning flight back to Manchester Airport with his passport given to staff who handed it over to him as they landed.
He was also given an 'Inadmisable Passenger form', the translation of which states the reason for his denial of entry being 'A foreigner whose entry to the country is not deemed appropriate.'
Whilst the details of the flight he arrived on were also incorrect. "They treated me like a criminal or a terrorist or something. I had to board the plane last and they told us where to sit. And they said when we arrive you stay seated" Jamie said.
After arriving home and being reunited with his partner Gemma Milne, Jamie went to North Manchester General Hospital to have his injuries, which included a sore head, knee, swelling on his hands where the handcuffs had been and bruises all over his body, assessed.
He said watching the final at home was a 'weird, weird feeling.' "During the day I was watching Sky Sports News and could see all the Blues in the square and stuff and it just felt like it had been stolen from me. I was just sat there thinking 'what the hell has just happened?'
"The worst thing is not being told. Say I'd done absolutely silly on the way there and that happens, then it's your own fault. But it's hard to accept when I've not been given an explanation.
"It was a lot of money but it's not about that. I've been a Blue all my life, I saw us at Wembley in 99 and this was the pinnacle, to be what we've always sung, the best team in the land and all the world. It was a one-off and I wasn't there when I should have been."
He said he hasn't been able to sleep properly since and is now worried about issues on future holidays. After alerting Gemma, who is a travel agent, to what had happened she began trying to get find out why and on Saturday morning paid a visit to Manchester Airport to try and speak to Turkish Airlines staff.
Gemma told the website Travel Gossip that one member of staff showed her the ban against his name on their system and suggested they can be implemented for something as menial as an unpaid mini bar bill or speeding fine on a previous visit.
However, Jamie says he has only ever been to the country once before, an all-inclusive holiday with his ex-wife and children, and that he had no issues and left nothing unpaid before returning home.
The UK passport office have since told Jamie his passport is 'clear.' And his and Gemma's bid to get answers has hit a brick wall.
Turkish Airlines told the couple it was unable to help and pointed them to the British Consulate in Istanbul. But, in an email from the British Consulate a fortnight ago, they were told: “Unfortunately, we do not have access to the Turkish System therefore I am unable to state whether you have received a travel ban or not. This information can only be seen through the Turkish Embassy/Consulate in London.”
Labour Deputy Leader and Mr Royle's MP Angela Rayner: “I am shocked to hear about Mr Royle’s treatment in Turkey and I have now been in contact with the British Embassy in Turkey to bring this case to their attention, asking for whatever help and information they can provide to explain why Jamie was treated this way.”
The Manchester Evening News has contacted the Turkish Embassy in London and asked about Mr Royle's case but has not received a response. Turkish Airlines have also been approached for comment.
A spokesperson for Andy Burnahm said: “The situation that many fans found themselves in in Istanbul was inexcusable and the Mayor fully understands the frustration and anger fans feel about the way they were treated.
"The Mayor has stated publicly that we need a much stronger commitment from UEFA to the welfare of football supporters to ensure there can be no repeat of what happened in Istanbul.
“We were very sorry to hear of Jamie’s experience and are encouraged to hear that he has also raised his case with his local MP, who has taken up the case.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign Oiffice said: “We provided assistance to a British man who was detained in Turkey and were in contact with the local authorities.”
