Close to 130 dead in Indonesian football stampede, nationwide unrest follows

The death of at least 129 people in a stampede at an Indonesian football match has rocked the football world. The incident took place following Arema FC’s loss to bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya in East Java.

Angry with the 2-3 loss at home, the Arema FC’s supporters stormed the pitch as a show of vexation at the team management. The riot police had already expected things to go down south after the home team’s loss and were ready to thwart any such nuisance.

As soon as fans went onto the pitch, the police started to fire tear gas which caused panic and a stampede followed. The world’s governing football body FIFA states that no “crowd control gas” should be used or carried by police at the matches. The panic from the use of tear gas seems to be the primary reason behind the stampede. A large crowd ran towards the exit following the use of tear gas and that small exit became a bottleneck where many succumbed to suffocation and were trampled over.

#WATCH | At least 127 people died after violence at a football match in Indonesia, last night. The deaths occurred when angry fans invaded a football pitch after a match in East Java

(Video source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/j7Bet6f9mE

— ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2022

Nico Afinta, police chief of East Java attested to fans’ claims on social media saying, “fleeing fans went out to one point at the exit. Then there was a build-up in the process of accumulation there was shortness of breath, lack of oxygen.”

He also said, “It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” he said, adding that two police officers were among the dead. “We would like to convey that… not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3,000 who entered the pitch,” Afinta said.

Following the horrific incident, the Indonesian football association has suspended all games for a week and has launched an investigation. The incident has also ignited nationwide unrest as many have targeted police stations and government buildings blaming the police for the death of fans.

#Breaking: Just in – Reports that protests are breaking out near a police station in #Indonesia, after people found out that riot police tear gassed 127 people to death between a football match of Arema and Persebaya. pic.twitter.com/7SrRRUI95S

— Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) October 1, 2022

Indonesian president Joko Widodo has ordered authorities to thoroughly evaluate security at football matches. He has vowed that this would be “the last soccer tragedy in the nation.”