At least 174 people died on Saturday night when angry fans stormed a pitch after a game in Malang, East Java, Indonesia.
Indonesia woke up on Sunday bereaved by one of the worst stadium tragedies ever. According to the latest report from local authorities, at least 174 people died in a crowd movement when thousands of fans invaded a football pitch and were sprayed with tear gas. The tragedy, which took place on Saturday evening in the city of Malang, east of the island of Java, also left some 180 injured in this archipelago of Southeast Asia where rivalries between supporters often saw to disaster.
Fans of the Arema FC team entered the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang City after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. It was the first time in more than twenty years that Arema FC had lost to their great rival. The police, who described the incident as “riots“, tried to persuade fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after the death of two police officers. Many victims were trampled to death. Survivors described panicking onlookers pinned down by crowds as police fired tear gas.
Footage captured inside the stadium shows a huge amount of tear gas and people clinging to the barriers, trying to escape. Others carried injured bystanders, pushing their way through the chaos. “Police threw tear gas, and people immediately rushed out, pushing each other, and it caused a lot of casualties.“, told AFP Doni, a 43-year-old spectator, who did not want to give his last name. “There was nothing, no riots. I don’t know what happened, suddenly they sent tear gas“, did he declare. “What shocked me is that they didn’t think of women and children?»
I deeply regret this tragedy and hope that this football-related tragedy will be the last in our country.
Joko Widodo, Indonesian President
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered “a full assessment of football matches and security procedures“, after this incident. He asked the National Football Association to suspend all games until “security improvements. I deeply regret this tragedy and hope that this football-related tragedy will be the last in our country.“, he said in a televised speech. A hospital director told a local television station that one of the victims was only five years old. The stadium contained 42,000 people and was full according to the authorities. Some 3,000 of them invaded the field in anger after the match.
A distressing spectacle in front of the stadium testified Sunday morning to the unrest of the day before: charred vehicles, including a police truck, littered the streets. Police reported 13 burned vehicles. The Indonesian government has apologized for this incident. “We are sorry for this incident (…) It is a regrettable incident which hurts our football at a time when supporters can attend a match in a stadiumafter a long hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic, Indonesian Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali told Kompas TV.
Recurring violence between supporters
Mea culpa also on the side of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), which suspended all matches scheduled for this week. “We are sorry and we apologize to the families of the victims and to all parties for this incident.said PSSI President Mochamad Iriawan. Fan violence is a problem in Indonesia, where long-running rivalries have turned into deadly clashes. Some matches – the most important being the derby between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung – are so tense that players from top teams have to go there under heavy protection. Persebaya Surabaya fans had not been allowed to buy tickets for the game for fear of incidents.
The head of the Asian Football Confederation, expressed his regret over the loss of life. “I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear such tragic news from Indonesia, a football loving country.said Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in a statement. Indonesia is due to host the U-20 World Cup competition next year at several stadiums across the country, but Malang is not one of them. In 1989, a mob at Hillsborough stadium in Britain killed 97 Liverpool fans and in 2012 Egypt’s Port Said stadium suffered another tragedy with 74 dead. In 1964, 320 people died and more than a thousand were injured in a crowd movement at the National Stadium in Lima during a qualifying match between Peru and Argentina.