More than 180 people lost their lives and over 100 were injured in the riots that occurred after a football match in Malang, in the Indonesian province of East Java. Police said most of the victims died in the crush that took place in Kanjuruhan Stadium at the end of the match lost 3-2 by the home team, the Aremacheck out Persebaya Surabaya.
The dynamics of the tragedy
Furious about the first defeat by the bitter rivals in more than 20 years, at the end of the match the Arema fans invaded the pitch, attacking some of the players. The police used tear gas, even towards the bleachers. At that point the crowd panicked and huddled in an attempt to escape. Dozens of people died of suffocation or trampling.
According to the data provided, the victims are 182. “Thirty-four victims died inside the stadium, the others in the hospital”, the local police chief said in a statement. Nico Afinta.
Ferli Hidayatlocal police chief of Malang, in the province of East Javain Indonesia, where the tragedy took place, said that on Saturday at the stadium there were about 42,000 spectators at the match, all Arema fans because the organizer had banned fans from Persebaya to enter the stadium in an attempt to avoid fights. The restriction was imposed after clashes in February 2020 between fans of the two rival soccer teams at the Blitar stadium in East Java that caused damage totaling 250 million rupees ($ 18,000).
Championship suspended
The carnage of Malang it is the most serious of a series of incidents and episodes of violence that have marked Indonesian football over the years. The League has suspended the championship for a week and has decided that Arema will not host any other matches this season.
President Joko Widodo He went over. He has ordered the Minister of Sports and Youth, the Chief of National Police and the Head of the Football Association to “conduct a thorough review of safety procedures” for football matches. And he has established that until all the necessary investigations are concluded, the games of the top flight will not be able to resume.
The government has promised to thoroughly investigate the causes of the tragedy. “We are sorry”, declared the Minister of Sport and Youth Zainuddin Amali to the Kompas broadcaster. “We will thoroughly evaluate the organization of the match and the presence of the fans. Will we go back to banning fans from attending matches? This is what we will discuss.” According to the Minister of the Interior, Mahfud MDthe stadium was overcrowded: 42,000 tickets had been sold for 38,000 seats.
Infantino: “World of football in shock”
“The world of football is in shock following the tragic incidents that occurred in Indonesia at the end of the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya at the Kanjuruhan stadium,” said the FIFA president. Gianni Infantino – This is a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension. I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives following this tragic accident, “she added.
“Together with FIFA and to the global football community, all our thoughts and prayers are addressed to the victims, to those who have been injured – underlines Infantino – together with the people of the Republic of Indonesia, the Asian Football Confederation, the Indonesian Football Federation and the Football League Indonesian, in this difficult time “.
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