The tragedy on Saturday night in Indonesia, which also left over 180 injured, was one of the world’s deadliest Sporting stadium disasters.
Indonesia : Wiki | Riots | Violence | Stampede video
Football hooliganism has had a long history in Indonesia, with dozens of supporters being killed since the 1990s. Several teams’ fan clubs have so-called “commanders”, and riot police units are present in many matches with flares often being used to disperse rioting crowds invading the pitch.
In 2018, riots at Kanjuruhan following a match between Malang’s Arema FC and Persib Bandung had resulted in a fatality after riot police employed tear gas to disperse crowds.
Although FIFA regulations (19b) stated tear gas and firearms should not be used in stadiums by pitchside stewards or police, the scope of this regulation does not extend to competitions not directly organized by FIFA, and it is employed by Indonesian police riot units securing football matches.
Arema and Persebaya Surabaya, longstanding rival clubs as the Super East Java Derby, were scheduled to play a Liga 1 regular season match at Malang’s 42,000-capacity Kanjuruhan Stadium on 1 October.
Wiki
The 2022 Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium, in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, on 1 October 2022.
| Date | 1 October 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java, Indonesia |
Following a loss by Arema FC to Persebaya Surabaya, Arema supporters invaded the pitch and rioted, attacking police and Persebaya players.
In response, riot police units deployed tear gas, which triggered a stampede as the people in the stadium were asphyxiated by the gas.
At least 182 died in the incident, with hundreds more injured. The incident is the deadliest football-related disaster in Asia, as well as the second-deadliest worldwide.
Due to security concerns, police had requested that the match be held earlier in the afternoon instead of at 20:30 WIB (13:30 UTC), and that only 38,000 people be allowed to spectate; however the request was not accepted by Liga 1 officials and 42,000 tickets were printed.
Indonesia Riots
At least 174 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a riot and a stampede at an Indonesian football stadium.
The tragedy on Saturday night in the eastern city of Malang was one of the world’s deadliest sporting stadium disasters.
Police in East Java province said thousands of fans of Arema FC stormed the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. Officers tried to control the “riots” by firing tear gas, triggering a stampede as panicked fans rushed to an exit gate.
Some suffocated in the chaos while others were trampled to death. At least 34 people, including two police officers, died at the stadium.
East Java’s Vice Governor Emil Dardak told Kompas TV in an interview on Sunday afternoon that the death toll has climbed to 174, while more than 100 injured people were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals. Eleven of them were in critical condition, he said.
Violence
When supporters of the losing home team invaded the pitch in East Java province on Saturday night to express their frustration, officers fired tear gas in an attempt to control the situation, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters. “It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” Nico said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.
Video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang after Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya. Scuffles can be seen, with what appeared to be tear gas in the air.
Videos showed fans charging towards the centre of the field before they scattered, beat back by uniformed officers carrying batons and riot shields, as loud bangs and clouds of smoke erupted in the arena.
People jumped over barriers and leaped onto railings as they fled, with the officers beating and kicking those on the field, as spectators looked on from the still-crowded stands.
Images showed people who appeared to have lost consciousness being carried away by other fans.The head of one of the hospitals in the area treating patients told Metro TV that some of the victims had sustained brain injuries and that the dead included a five-year-old child. World soccer’s governing body FIFA specifies in its safety regulations that no firearms or “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by stewards or police.
Indonesia Stampede video
More than 170 people were killed and 180 injured in a stampede and riot at a football match in Indonesia, officials said on Sunday (Oct 2), in one of the world’s worst stadium disasters.
At least 174 people have died, Deputy East Java Governor Emil Dardak told local media on Sunday.
The stadium had been been filled beyond capacity, said Indonesia’s chief security minister Mahfud MD. In an Instagram post, he said 42,000 tickets had been issued for a stadium that was meant to hold 38,000 people.
After the match on Saturday in East Java province where Arema FC lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya, supporters from the losing team invaded the pitch and police had fired tear gas, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.
“It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” Nico said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.
Two police officers were among the dead, the police chief said, adding that 34 people died inside the stadium and the rest died in hospital.