Highlight
- Stampede broke out after Arema FC’s loss to Persebaya Surabaya
- The match was being played overnight in East Java Province
- Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 has postponed games by a week
Indonesia Stampede: In one of the most horrific incidents, 127 Indonesians were killed after a stampede immediately followed by crowd disturbances at a football match being played overnight in East Java. The match was fought between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya. Supporters of the losing team failed to control their anger as they attacked the football pitch which later turned into a horrific incident.
Seeing the situation getting out of hand, the police had to take elaborate measures as they fired tear gas shells which later led to a stampede. The tearful case led to a suffocating scenario, which enraged fans even more. The incident was triggered after Arema FC fans lost the match in the ongoing BRI Liga 1. Terrible scene after that. Various video clippings from local news channels showed people running on the football pitch.
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Indonesian Sports and Youth Minister Zainuddin Amali, a representative of the Indonesian government, condemned the event and said:
We are deeply sorry for this horrific incident. It is certainly a regrettable scenario that ‘hurts’ our football culture, especially at a time when supporters can watch football matches from the stadium. We will conduct a thorough evaluation of the organization of the match and the attendance of supporters. Will we go back to banning supporters from attending matches? this is what we will discuss
The outcome and intensity of the incident was such that so far 127 people have died, and more than 180 people have been badly injured after the stampede. Nico Afinta’s police chief has said police were left with no option but to release tear gas after fans began attacking the football pitch and it caused suffocation.