According to Indonesia's National Police Chief, one of the deadliest stadium catastrophes in history left around 200 people dead after an Indonesian league soccer match turned violent and chaotic into the early hours of Sunday.
Two of the top soccer teams in Indonesia, Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya, battled in the stands following a game in the East Java city of Malang, where Arema FC was defeated 3-2.
Indonesia Soccer Match Stampede, Riot
The losing team's supporters invaded the field after the event, and police launched tear gas, which caused a mob to swarm and cause incidences of suffocation, according to East Java police head Nico Afinta. He added that two police officers were also killed, and that the crush happened as spectators sprinted for an exit gate. Authorities in Indonesia report that more than 300 people have been hurt, and they are concerned that the death toll may grow.
The tragedy occurred in the province of East Java, where the governor earlier on Sunday reported 131 fatalities. The difference of the earlier higher statistics was explained by Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Chief of the National Police, who claimed that some casualties were registered twice.
Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, the president of Indonesia, made the decision on Sunday that all league games must be postponed while inquiries are ongoing.
Videos released on social media that were taken late at night from within the stadium showed fans storming the field while wearing the red and blue of the home club and fighting with Indonesian security agents who appeared to be wearing riot gear.
According to Reuters, images of corpse bags could also be seen in video footage carried on local news channels. Later, videos showed several people being taken into a building while being doused with smoke that appeared to be tear gas. Many were admitted to neighboring hospitals, according to officials, due to loss of oxygen and shortness of breath, CNN reported.
Anger Sparks Against Indonesia Police Over Tragedy
The Liga 1 has been placed on indefinite suspension by Indonesia's PSSI soccer federation, and Arema FC has been prohibited from hosting games for the duration of the current campaign. Persebaya supporters were not able to obtain tickets for the game due to worries of clashes. The stadium was packed, according to a post on Instagram by Indonesia's senior security minister, Mahfud MD.
He asserted that 42,000 tickets had been sold for the game at a stadium with a stated capacity of 38,000. The deployment of tear gas by the police has received attention, despite FIFA's ban on the substance in soccer grounds.
The use of tear gas was not mentioned in the statement from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who termed its a tragic day for those involved in football and a tragedy beyond explanation. Police deployment of tear gas, according to Amnesty International Indonesia, is to blame for the tragedy.
Usman Hamid, the executive director of the group, said tear gas should only be used to separate crowds when there has been severe violence and after all other measures have failed, as per News Week via MSN.
In Indonesia, fan violence is a persistent issue that occasionally results from intense competition between clubs. Longtime rivals Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya were unable to sell tickets to their match on Saturday because to concerns about possible violence.
Fan violence is a recurrent problem in Indonesia that periodically arises from fierce rivalry between clubs. Tickets for the match between longtime rivals Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday were unable to be sold due to worries about potential violence.
A few months before Indonesia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in May and June 2019, tragedy strikes. Additionally, they are one of three countries competing to host the Asian Cup, the continent's equivalent of the Euros, in 2019, after China dropped out of the hosting position, according to Al Jazeera.
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