One Stadium Tragedy Too Many

The Indonesian government is investigating the country’s and one of the world’s worst stadium tragedies after 132 persons died and about 584 others were injured in a  stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang Regency, East Java, during a football match between two local club sides.

Six people, including police and match organisers, are also facing criminal prosecution over the incident.

Three police officers who used teargas, the head of the organising committee and the chief security officer of the home club, Arema FC, have also been charged.

Trouble started after a match in which a home team, Arema, lost to their local rivals, Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang regency, East Java on October 1, 2022.

The match was not considered to be a high-risk event because only fans of Arema, the home side, were present. Supporters of the opposing team, Persebaya Surabaya, who won the match, had been banned as a precaution to prevent violence between rival fans.

Angry supporters of the losing side invaded the pitch and police fired tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. According to reports, about 3,000 spectators had stormed the pitch and tempers rose after police heavy-handed approach further inflamed passions leading to clashes between the spectators and police, with vehicles, including a police truck, burnt.

What followed was a panicked crowd rushing to the stadium exit and a terrible stampede in which many were crushed and other suffocated.

Social media images showed chaotic scenes in which fans clambered to escape thick clouds of teargas, some trying to carry other injured spectators to safety. A video showing Indonesian soldiers beating and kicking Arema supporters surfaced. Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, Andika Perkasa, promised that the act is not considered as self- defence, and the soldiers involved would be charged with criminal law.

FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, captured the mood of the football world when he described as “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension,”  adding that the football world is in a state of shock

On his part, the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, ordered state and sport authorities to thoroughly re-evaluate security at football matches to ensure it was the last soccer tragedy in the nation.

Along this line, Amnesty International’s chief executive for Indonesia, Usman Hamid, called on authorities to ensure open investigation and prosecution of those whose acts of omission amd commission led to this avoidable tragedy.

As a newspaper, we  totally align with the positions taken by the Indonesian president – that this should be the last ever such stadium disaster and that of the Amnesty International – that those whose acts of commission or omission/negligence contributed to the tragedy.

We hold this position in the light of revelations that police authorities ignored FIFA regulation 19b which states that tear gas should not be used in stadiums by pitch-side stewards or police in stadium crowd control.

According to the rule, teargas should only be used to disperse crowds when widespread violence had occurred and when other methods had failed, and people had to be warned of its use and allowed to disperse. In the Indonesian incident, there was no evidence that such precautions were followed.

It has also come to light that several safety protocols were breached ahead of the tragedy, with the venue filled beyond its capacity. Indonesia’s chief security minister, Mahfud MD, said that 42,000 tickets were issued for 38,000-capacity stadium.

This Indonesian stadium tragedy is the latest in such incidents, most of them linked to stampede caused by the use of teargas.