According to police, over the weekend, at least 125 people were killed in a soccer stampede in Indonesia. The Southeast Asian country is under increasing pressure to explain what transpired. Violence and hooliganism have always been a part of Indonesian football, particularly in Jakarta, but Saturday’s tragedy in a Java town brought the situation to light. FIFA requests report as Indonesia investigates stampede is news of the day. Read out the complete details about Indonesia soccer stampede down below with us!
Indonesia soccer stampede | FIFA requests report as Indonesia investigates stampede
Indonesia’s top security minister, Mahfud MD, stated that the government will form an independent fact-finding committee to conduct an investigation. He estimated that the probe would take several weeks. On Monday, the Indonesian newspaper Koran Tempo carried a dark front page with the headline “Our Football Tragedy” and a list of the dead. According to Nahar, a ministry official, 17 children were murdered and seven were hospitalized.
The fatal crush happened on Saturday when police used tear gas to disperse losing home fans who ran onto the pitch at the end of the game. Due to security concerns, Persebaya Surabaya fans were denied admission, despite Arema FC’s 3-2 victory. Mahfud said that the stadium was filled on Sunday.
He said that 42,000 tickets were sold for a stadium with a capacity of 38,000 people. FIFA, the world soccer governing body, has asked Indonesian football officials to provide a report on the event. Guns and “crowd control gas” are prohibited at matches.
On Monday, Arema FC president Gilang Widya Pramana apologized to stampede victims and accepted full responsibility. In a Sunday address, Pope Francis prayed for the dead and injured. Malang is being examined in connection with one of the world’s deadliest stadium disasters.
“My family and I didn’t think it would turn out like this,” said Endah Wahyuni, the elder sister of two boys, Ahmad Cahyo, 15, and Muhammad Farel, 14.
“They loved soccer but never watched Arema live at Kanjuruhan stadium. This was their first time,” she added at her brothers’ funeral on Sunday, referring to the home side they backed.
“All those responsible should be held accountable for this disaster, regardless of their status or position,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said on Monday.
