Chaos erupted after a local match in East Java province, prompting police to fire tear gas, leading to a stampede.
Violence, chaos and deadly trampling erupted after a domestic league soccer game on Saturday night marked one of the worst sporting disasters in history.
Chaos erupted after Persebaya Surabaya defeated rival Arema Malang in a match Saturday night in the East Java province city of Malang.
At least 125 people were reported killed in the incident and more than 100 people were injured. The death toll has been adjusted from 174 to 125.
Here’s a timeline of how events unfolded:
Before the match
- According to police officials, about 42,000 spectators were present, making it a sold-out event.
- All the fans supported Arema Malang, as the organizers banned Persebaya Surabaya fans to avoid the risk of a scuffle between fans.
- The game starts at 8pm (13:00 GMT).
During the game
Persebaya beat Arema 3-2 at home later on.
After the match
- The game ends around 10:45 pm (15:45 GMT).
- After the final whistle, the audience poured into the field.
- Fans threw bottles and other objects at football players and officials, and riots spread outside the stadium.
- At least five police cars overturned and caught fire and many more were damaged.
- Riot police responded with tear gas, which is banned in stadiums by FIFA, the governing body of world football.
- Hundreds of spectators rushed to the exit gates to avoid tear gas, resulting in a stampede that left 34 people trampled or suffocated resulting in near-instant death, and many more subsequent deaths from trauma. love.
- Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed his deepest regret and ordered a full investigation of the incident.
- He also ordered the suspension of the top soccer league until a reassessment of match safety measures and tighter security was in place. Widodo said he hopes “this tragedy will be the last tragedy of football in Indonesia”.
- The Indonesian Football Association also banned Arema from hosting matches for the remainder of the season.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the world of football is “in a state of shock”.
- Amnesty International urges Indonesia to investigate the use of tear gas at the stadium and ensure that violators are found to be tried in public courts.
