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A stampede caused by fans who invaded the field during a meeting between two rival teams has left at least 129 dead in Indonesia. President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered an investigation into the security of football matches in the country.
A festive evening that turns into a nightmare: at least 129 people died on Saturday October 1 in Indonesia in a crowd movement caused by fans invading a football pitch following a match, authorities reported on Sunday.
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 the Kanjuruhan stadium following 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.
Police, who called the incident a “riot”, tried to persuade fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas following two officers were killed. Many victims were trampled to death.
Several people were crushed as they ran towards one of the exits of the stadium, and died of asphyxiation, detailed in a press release the local police chief Nico Afinta.
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.
Players under high protection
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.
The Indonesian government apologized for this incident and promised to investigate the circumstances of this crowd movement.
The minister of sports and youth, the national police and the head of the Indonesian National Football Association must conduct “a comprehensive assessment of football matches and security procedures”, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in a speech televised.
For its part, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), has suspended all matches scheduled for this week and banned Arema FC from organizing home matches for the rest of the season. A team of investigators must also go to Malang to establish the cause of the crash.
“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 biggest being the Old Indonesia Derby between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung — are so tense that players from top teams have to go under heavy protection.
With AFP
