October 3 – The entire global football community is grasping the sheer horror of one of the sport’s deadliest disasters after at least 125 people, reportedly including up to 32 children, died in a crush at an Indonesian domestic game.
Hundreds were also injured in the aftermath of Arema FC’s loss to bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya at an overcrowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java.
The crush took place after police tear-gassed some 3,000 fans who invaded the pitch, according to reports. As panic spread, thousands surged towards the stadium’s exits, where many suffocated.
Police, who described the unrest as “riots”, said they tried to force fans to return to the stands but many of the victims were trampled on or choked to death.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered an immediate independent investigation into the tragedy, a safety review into all football matches and directed the country’s football association to suspend all games until “security improvements” were completed.
Images taken from inside the stadium during the stampede showed police firing huge amounts of tear gas and people clambering over fences.
Amnesty International called for an investigation into why tear gas was deployed in a confined space, saying it should only be used “when other methods have failed”.
Persebaya Surabaya fans were not allowed to buy tickets for the game due to fears of violence but reportedly got into the game. Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Mahfud MD, said organisers ignored a recommendation to print fewer tickets and hold the match in the afternoon instead of the evening.
In Jakarta as many as 300 football fans, including some known as diehard ‘ultras’, gathered for a candlelit vigil outside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium, Indonesia’s biggest. Some chanted ‘Murderer!’ and set off firecrackers.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino described the stampede “a tragedy beyond comprehension”.
Manchester United and Barcelona posted tributes online while Spanish football clubs were to observe a minute’s silence before matches on Sunday as a mark of respect. The German FA and Italy’s Serie A also tweeted their condolences.
A tearful Arema FC president Gilang Widya Pramana apologised to the victims of the stampede and said he took full responsibility. “Lives are more precious than soccer,” he said.
And in an address on Sunday, Pope Francis said he had prayed for those who have lost their lives and for the injured from the disaster.
Indonesia is due to host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in May and is also bidding to replace China as host of the 2023 Asian Cup alongside South Korea and Qatar, with a decision due this month. But all these could now be in jeopardy.
Under FIFA rules no “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by stewards or police at matches.
“If there hadn’t been any tear gas maybe there wouldn’t have been chaos,” Choirul Anam, a commissioner at Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas Ham, told a briefing at the stadium.
But East Java police chief Nico Afinta defended its use.
“We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles,” he told a news conference.
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