At least 174 people killed in riot at football match in Indonesia

Panic and a chaotic run for exits after police fired tear gas at an Indonesian soccer match to drive away rampaging fans left at least 174 dead most of whom were trampled upon or suffocated making it one of the deadliest sports events in the worldAttention immediately focused on the police use of tear gas which is banned at soccer stadiums by FIFA The president of the world soccer body called the deaths at the stadium a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension while President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation of security proceduresViolence broke out after the game ended Saturday evening with host Arema FC of East Javas Malang city losing to Persebaya of Surabaya 32Disappointed with their teams loss thousands of supporters of Arema known as Aremania reacted by throwing bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials Witnesses said fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch and demanded that Arema management explain why after 23 years of undefeated home matches against rival Persebaya this one ended in a lossThe violence spread outside the stadium where at least five police vehicles were toppled and set ablaze Riot police responded by firing tear gas including toward the stadiums stands causing panic among the crowdSome suffocated and others were trampled as hundreds of people ran to the exit to avoid the tear gas In the chaos 34 died at the stadium including two officers and some reports include children among the casualtiesWe have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as fans began to attack the police acting anarchically and burning vehicles East Java police chief Nico Afinta said in a news conference early SundayAlso Read UAE Jordan Indonesia join Islamic nations condemning remarks against ProphetMore than 300 were rushed to hospitals but many died on the way and during a treatment Afinta saidEast Javas Vice Gov Emil Dardak told Kompas TV the death toll had climbed to 174 while more than 100 injured people are receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals 11 of them in critical conditionIndonesias soccer association known as PSSI suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefinitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the seasonTelevision reports showed police and rescuers evacuating the injured and carrying the dead to ambulancesGrieving relatives waited for information about their loved ones at Malangs Saiful Anwar General Hospital Others tried to identify the bodies laid at a morgue while medical workers put identification tag on the bodies of the victimsI deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country dont let another human tragedy like this happen in the future Widodo said in a televised speechWe must continue to maintain sportsmanship humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indonesian nationHe ordered the youth and sports minister the national police chief and the PSSI chair to conduct a thorough evaluation of the countrys soccer and its security procedureYouth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali also expressed his regrets that this tragedy happened when we were preparing for soccer game activities both national and international levelIndonesia is due to host the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11 with 24 participating teams As the host the country automatically qualifies for the cupUnfortunately this incident has certainly injured our soccer image Amali saidIn a statement FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed condolences on behalf of the global football community saying the football world is in a state of shock The statement did not mention the use of tear gasFerli Hidayat local police chief of Malang said there were some 42000 spectators at the game Saturday all of whom were Arema supporters because the organizer had banned Persebaya fans from entering the stadium in an effort to avoid brawlsThe restriction was imposed after clashes between supporters of the two rival teams in East Javas Blitar stadium in February 2020 caused 250 million rupiah 18000 in damage Brawls were reported outside the stadium during and after the semifinals of the East Java Governors Cup which ended with Persebaya beating Arema 42Rights groups responded to the tragedy by blaming the use of tear gas in the stadium by policeCiting FIFAs stadium safety guidelines that prohibit the carrying or use of crowd control gas by pitch side stewards or police Amnesty International called on Indonesian authorities to conduct a swift thorough and independent investigation into the use of tear gas at Kanjuruhan stadiumThose who are found to have committed violations are tried in open court and do not merely receive internal or administrative sanctions said Usman Hamid executive director of Amnesty International IndonesiaHe said tear gas should only be used to disperse crowds when widespread violence has occurred and when other methods have failed People must be warned that tear gas will be used and allowed to disperse No one should lose their lives at a football match Hamid saidDespite Indonesias lack of international accolades in the sport hooliganism is rife in the soccerobsessed country where fanaticism often ends in violence as in the 2018 death of a Persija Jakarta supporter who was killed by a mob of hardcore fans of rival club Persib Bandung in 2018Saturdays game is already among the worlds worst crowd disasters including the 1996 World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City where over 80 died and over 100 more were injured In April 2001 more than 40 people are crushed to death during a soccer match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg South AfricaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter 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