With the deaths uncounted, Arema FC football club apologized to the families of its fans for the disaster that will forever be etched in the history of those involved in Saturday night’s football match in Malang, East Java , have come into contact.
So far there have been 125 deaths, including 17 children. Hundreds of injured are still being treated. On Monday, Malang’s mayor Sutiaji described what he had heard from witnesses. “We have a fifth grader here who saw both of his parents die,” he said in a video speech. The child didn’t say a word all Sunday. “He is an only child and now with his grandfather.” He then promised help and psychological care for the bereaved and those who witnessed the disaster. The polluters are also to be searched for, and an investigative commission has been set up. But that shouldn’t be easy. Violence and altercations between hooligans are common in Indonesian football. The Indonesian police usually acts with deterrence and harshness instead of de-escalating, the police officers with riot gear and dogs were also on duty at the game on Saturday.
Crowded stadium
The stadium was packed with about 42,000 spectators, it is only allowed for 38,000, but that was not the reason for the accident. Arema FC lost to arch-rivals Persebaya Surabaya and some 3,000 angry fans stormed the field. But even then everything could have been resolved. It wasn’t until the police fired tear gas into the crowd that panic broke out. The people tried to flee through the gates of the Kanjuruhan Stadium, those who were moving up pushed from behind, nothing went forward in front. According to current knowledge, most of the victims suffocated.
In addition to the narrow gate and the collapsed steel doors, photos taken after the event show that the fugitives, who were pressed against the wall, tried to punch a hole in a bricked-up window next to the exit.
The disaster will join the long history of major stadium accidents, but in Malang no grandstand collapsed and it was not without reason that the crowd got out of control. Fifa rules stipulate that tear gas must never be used in a football stadium. Neither from the fans nor from the police.
Two police officers were among the dead, the situation had become so obvious during the operation. “It got anarchic, they attacked police officers and destroyed cars,” said Nico Afinta, East Java Police Chief at a first press conference afterwards. “But we should also say that not everyone behaved anarchically. There were only 3,000 who ran onto the field.”
So far everything indicates that it was the police operation that caused the panic and deaths. the Straits Times reports on Monday that people from Malang town are laying flowers at the stadium to commemorate the victims. Overnight someone sprayed the abbreviation “ACAB” on the wall, an acronym for “All Cops Are Bastards”, which is also known in Germany.
Games are suspended for the time being
After the Indonesian Football Association was the first to announce an investigation, doubts were raised. “It is not enough for the national police and the Indonesian football federation to conduct their own investigations, as they may be tempted to downplay their responsibilities,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. After a special government meeting, it was announced on Monday that an independent team of experts is now to find out the causes of the disaster. It will be made up of government officials, football association officials, experts, academics and journalists, said Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud. “The team is expected to complete its work in two or three weeks.”
It’s not the first time fans of the two clubs have lashed out at each other. To prevent riots, Persebaya Surabaya supporters were not even allowed to buy tickets for the game. But apparently hooligans from just one club and the harsh reaction of the police were enough to escalate the situation. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said in a speech on Sunday that this should be “the nation’s last football tragedy”. He ordered Premier League games to be suspended for the period of the investigation.