There is great sadness in Indonesia after the uprising in connection with a football match in which at least 125 people lost their lives. It is now clear that at least 32 of them were children.
No away fans were allowed to watch the game live due to fears of violence, but the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya resulted in tragedy.
At least 125 people died and over 300 were injured after thousands of spectators invaded the plane. According to eyewitnesses AP and AFP news agencies spoke to, it was dissatisfaction with the result.
Arema FC lost 2–3. It is the team’s first home defeat to Persebaya Surabaya in over 23 years.
The thugs who invaded the plane are said to have been disappointed with the club’s management.
The police are criticized
The Indonesian government has already asked the national police for an investigation. Eighteen police officers and security officers at the stadium were at least heard due to the hustle and bustle.
According to many, the police intervention was excessive. Police fired tear gas at supporters and it is suspected that this was the starting point for the chaos that followed. People who died and were injured were trampled by fans trying to escape from the stadium.
The police, in turn, justified the use of tear gas by stating that two police officers were killed before the decision was made.
Indonesian authorities announced Monday that the number of dead children among the 125 victims is higher than feared. Previously it was said that 17 of those who died in the game were children, now it has been shown that the number of child victims was 32.
“There is a lot of violence, unfortunately”
Tragic – but not surprising – say people with an insight into Indonesian football culture.
One of them is Swedish player Brwa Nouri, who represents Bali United.
– I felt a kind of desperation when I heard the news. It will be a number, but when you see it in perspective it is unlikely, indescribable and just plain sad, he tells SVT.
Nouri has been playing in Indonesia since 2018 and has become very familiar with the hostile atmosphere in the stands.
– There is a lot of violence, unfortunately. He is crazy to say. But the championship is practically stopped every year due to deaths. My first year I managed to be here maybe a month before something like this happened.
Indonesian fans mourn the dead after the riot.
Bild: EPA-EFE / All Over Press
mourning work, Indonesia
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According to AP, 78 people have died in connection with football matches in the past 28 years in Indonesia.
– Culture is very threatening, says Nouri.
– There have been games in which we have won and we have not had time to run in the players’ tunnel. Then we had to wait in the central circle and barricade ourselves with the police officers until they made sure it was safe for us to reach the locker room.
It is unclear whether Indonesia will be deprived of the U20 World Cup
The Indonesian Football Association has once again suspended the league indefinitely. Arema will not be able to play home games for the rest of the season.
In May 2023, Indonesia will host the U20 World Cup. It is unclear whether the international football association Fifa will act.
President Gianni Infantino did not take a stand on the tournament when he declared on Sunday that the tragedy is a “dark day for all football”.
Several other football profiles also participated in the mourning. And when Pope Francis spoke on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, he said he keeps all the victims in his prayers for him.
– I cannot describe how great my sadness is. Nobody should die for wanting to see their favorite team play, a relative of one of the victims, 22-year-old Faiqotul Hikmah, said in turn, according to AP.
Sources: STT, AP, AFP, Reuters, SVT
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