Footage from inside the stadium showed people climbing over fences and others carrying injured people. Flared vehicles, including a police vehicle, lined the streets outside the stadium on Sunday morning.
Police said angry fans stormed a soccer field at the game in Malang, Indonesia’s East Java province, after their club Arema FC lost the game 3-2 to arch-rivals Persebaya Surabaya – their first loss in more than two decades.
The police then tried to persuade the fans to return to the stands. She eventually fired tear gas into the crowd after two police officers were killed. According to the police, this triggered a mass panic. At one exit there was a traffic jam and “shortness of breath and lack of oxygen,” said police chief Afinta.
The Indonesian Football Association then suspended the football games for a week. He also banned Arema FC from playing home games for the remainder of the season and announced a team would be sent to Malang to investigate the cause of the riots. “We regret the incident and apologize to the families of the victims and everyone involved,” said association chairman Mochamad Iriawan.
The Indonesian government also apologized for the incident. She promised to investigate the circumstances of the stampede. “We regret this incident,” Indonesian Minister of Sports and Youth Zainudin Amali told Kompas television. He announced a thorough review of the game organization. He left open whether there would be a return to the stadium ban on football fans.
Fan violence is a problem in Indonesia. Deep rivalries often result in deadly disputes. Some games are so charged that top team players have to travel to away games under protection.
