Following an altercation between supporters of two different soccer clubs in Indonesia, a police crackdown that resulted in a stampede resulted in at least 174 fatalities and several injuries. According to officials, the majority of the deceased were crushed to death when police used tear gas to break up fights.
During a match of the Indonesian Premier League, the incident took place inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, the capital of the province of East Java. When supporters of the defeated home side invaded the field to vent their frustration, East Java police chief Nico Afinta informed reporters that cops shot tear gas in an effort to contain the situation.
“It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” Nico said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered the country’s sports and youth minister, national police chief and Indonesian football association chief “to conduct a thorough evaluation of football matches and the security procedures.”
Social media was aflush with videos of the tragic incident in which angry football fans were seen clashing post the match that ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2.
Indonesia’s football association (PSSI) has suspended games for a week following the riot and has also prohibited Arema FC from hosting for the rest of the competition this season.
PSSI issued a statement late Saturday night expressing regret over the incident and said a team has left for Malang to start an investigation into what happened after the game
“PSSI regrets the actions of Arema 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,” the statement read.