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127 people killed, 180 injured during football match violence in Indonesia

Asia127 people killed, 180 injured during football match violence in Indonesia

About 127 were killed and 180 injured after a stampede following crowd chaos at a football match in  East Java overnight

Indonesian police said on Sunday that 127 people had died and 180 were injured after a stampede following crowd trouble at a football match in the region of East Java overnight.

After the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya had concluded, supporters from the losing team had invaded the pitch and police had fired tear gas, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.

Video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang and images of body bags. The Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 has suspended games for a week following the match that Persebaya won 3-2 and an investigation had been launched, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) said.

There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with a strong rivalry between clubs sometimes leading to violence.

People were carrying injured spectators through the chaos. Torched vehicles, including a police truck, littered the streets outside the stadium on Sunday morning.

The Indonesian government apologized for the incident and promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede. “We’re sorry for this incident… this is a regrettable incident that ‘injures’ our football at a time when supporters can watch football matches from the stadium,” Indonesian Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali told broadcaster Kompas.

“We will thoroughly evaluate the organization of the match and the attendance of supporters. Will we return to banning supporters from attending the matches? That is what we will discuss.” The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) suspended football matches for one week, banned Arema FC from hosting home games for the rest of the season, and said it would send an investigation team to Malang to establish the cause of the crush. “We’re sorry and apologize to families of the victims and all parties over the incident,” PSSI chairman Mochamad Iriawan said. Fan violence is a problem in Indonesia, where deep rivalries have previously turned into deadly confrontations.

Some matches — the biggest being the Old Indonesia Derby between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung — are so heated players from top teams have to travel to away games under heavy protection.

When a match turns into a battleground, it is worrying because sports were initially initiated as fields of friendship to build harmony and community and stitch friendships between states and countries with the strength of a good sportsperson’s spirit encouraged, the heart of a game.

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