At the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia- 129 people have been confirmed dead following a stampede that transpired on Saturday that also left some 180 people injured.
The chaos started when Arema FC supporters stormed into the pitch after their team lost 3 – 2 to the visiting team and bitter rivals, Persebaya Surabaya.
As a result, the Police then fired tear gas, triggering a stampede which led to cases of suffocation.
Video footage circulating on social media showed people shouting obscenities at Police, who were holding riot shields and wielding batons.
However, some of the Police officials who were at the stadium have since been suspended over their crowd management.
“Based on the investigation carried out tonight (Sunday) the National Police Chief has made a decision to relieve Malang Police Chief Ferli Hidayat from his duty and replace him,” said Indonesian National Police Spokesperson, Dedi Prasetyo.
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo has ordered an investigation into the tragedy, a safety review into all football matches and directed the country’s football association to suspend all matches until security improvements are completed.
“I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this football tragedy will be the last in our country,” said the President.
In addition, Chief Security Minister, Mahfud MD, said they will be compensated for the affected families.
“As a sign of condolences, the President will donate 50 million Rupiah (US$3 200) for each victim who died. The government has made improvements to the implementation of football matches and will continue to improve, but this sport, which is a favourite of the wider community, often provokes supporters to express emotions suddenly ” said the Chief Security Minister.
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has launched an investigation into the match, temporarily suspended Indonesia’s Liga 1 and Arema has been banned from hosting games for the rest of the season.
“PSSI regrets the actions of Aremania supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. We are sorry and apologize to the families of the victims and all parties for the incident. For that PSSI immediately formed an investigation team and immediately left for Malang,” said the association’s chairperson, Mochamad Iriawan, in a statement issued on Sunday.
Violence and hooliganism have long been features of Indonesian football, especially in places such as Jakarta, the capital, but the scale of Saturday’s disaster has shocked the nation.
The current death toll makes it the most-deadly stadium tragedy in Indonesian football, and the third-most deadly such event in the sport anywhere in the world, narrowly following the Accra Sports Stadium disaster in Ghana in 2001 (126 deaths). Only the Estadio Nacional disaster in Lima, Peru, in 1964 (328 deaths) resulted in a greater loss of life.
