How a football match upset win led to violence and stampede in Indonesia

Angry football supporters who had poured into the pitch teargassed by police, leading to a stampede

A fatal stampede in Indonesia after a football match has left at least 125 people dead in what is being described as one of the worst stadium disasters in the world, as questions emerge over how the incident happened.

Fights over football are common in the country, where the sport is popular and the domestic league is followed widely.

The incident happened in the aftermath of a fight breaking out between crowds after Indonesian football team Arema Malang was defeated 3-2 by rivals Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java’s Malang city.

This was the first time the team ceded a match to its rival Persebaya at its home stadium and soon after the defeat, thousands of angry supporters poured onto the pitch and clashed with each other, police said.

Angry crowds threw bottles and objects at players and football officials as chaos spread across the stadium.

At least five police cars were toppled and set ablaze, while several others were damaged.

Riot police responded with teargas to disperse the crowds.

Fifa regulations do not allow the use of the chemical compound in football matches.

Nico Afinta, a East Java regional police officer, cited angry crowds potentially hurting players and officials for using teargas at Kanjuruhan stadium.

Most of the victims had died from the stampede, either from suffocation or after being trampled, according to officials.

“Because of the teargas, they rushed to an exit point and triggered a stampede as they suffered shortness of breath, lack of oxygen,” he later said.

Amnesty International condemned the use of teargas on crowds.

People looking for their relatives inspect photographs of football riot victims provided by volunteers to help them identify their family members in Malang (AP)

Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia said teargas should only be used to disperse crowds when widespread violence has occurred and when other methods have failed.

People must be warned that teargas will be used and allowed to disperse, he pointed out.

The death toll, which was earlier stated by East Java’s deputy governor Emil Dardak, to be 174 deaths, was revised by him to 125 casualties later during the day.

Indonesia’s government said the incident has hurt the country’s image and said a probe was being launched over it.

President Joko Widodo has also ordered for the premier football league to be suspended until a reevaluation on match safety is carried out and tighter security put in place.

Indonesia’s football association has also banned Arema from hosting matches for the remainder of the season.

The country is set to host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup from 20 May to 11 June, with 24 participating teams. As the host, the country automatically qualifies for the cup.

“Unfortunately, this incident has certainly injured our soccer image,” said youth and sports minister Zainudin Amali.

Police officers fire tear gas during a riot following a football match at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang (EPA)

The incident has been described as a “dark day” for the sport by Fifa, which has also asked the Indonesian football authorities to submit a report.

There have been some well-known clashes between football team supporters in the past as well.

The supporters of football clubs Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung, have clashed in many matches.

In 2018, a Persija Jakarta supporter was beaten to death by Persib Bandung rivals.

Internationally, stray incidents between the supporters of rivals Indonesia and Malaysia had broken out in 2019 during qualifying matches for the year’s Fifa world cup.

In September that year, Malaysian fans were attacked at a World Cup qualifier in Jakarta. The country’s sports minister had to be evacuated from the stadium after violence broke out.