The Arema FC versus Persebaya Surabaya match in Indonesia has made one of the darkest chapters in Indonesian football history. On Saturday night, Arema FC hosted their arch-rival, Persebaya Surabaya, at Kanjuruhan Stadium. But, after losing the match against Persebaya Surabaya, around 3000 Arema supporters invaded the pitch and started throwing bottles and other missiles at players and football officials.
The police and the match securities tried to control the situation. They fired tear gas, which was not allowed in the stadium. That further terrorized the fans. The chemical suffocated some people and trampled others as hundreds fled to the exit, resulting in 124 deaths at Kanjuruhan Stadium, including two police.
Al menos 126 personas murieron tras un enfrentamiento registrado durante un partido de fútbol en #Indonesia.
Video: DeCopaConocemos
— 88.9 Noticias (@889Noticias) October 2, 2022
What has the Indonesian President said?
Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia, has expressed his sympathy. The president ordered the sports minister, national police chief, and chairman of the PSSI to investigate. During the speech, Joko Widodo said, “I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country. Don’t let another human tragedy like this happen in the future.” He added, “We must continue to maintain sportsmanship, humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indonesian nation.”
What have the Police said?
On behalf of the East Java police, Nico Afinta came into the media to explain what happened in the stadium. He said, “It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars. We would like to convey that… not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3,000 entered the pitch. Fleeing fans went out to one point at the exit. Then there was a build-up, in the process of accumulation there was shortness of breath, lack of oxygen.”
The Stadium was overloaded
The capacity of the Kanjuruhan Stadium is 38,000. But 42,000 tickets were booked for this match. Mahfud MD, the Chief Security Minister of Indonesia, shared his thoughts on his official Instagram account. There he wrote, “We had anticipated the (large) numbers and suggested that the game be held in the afternoon instead but it went on in the evening.” He added, “ Our proposals were not met. I also would like to emphasize that supporters in the field were Arema FC’s.”