In Indonesia, I mourn the victims of the stadium tragedy.
Kanjuruhan Stadium in the city of Malang, located on the island of East Java in Indonesia, will go down in history as one of the most shocking tragedies in football history.
The rush of spectators onto the field and the strong reaction of police in riot gear led to chaos that claimed the lives of 125 people, according to official estimates. At least 32 of the dead are said to have been children, the youngest of them reportedly only three years old. There are more than 320 injured.
The consequences have been monitored by the monkey currently representing HIFK Eero Markkanenwho is familiar with Indonesia from one year spent in the country’s main league.
– Terrible news. The kind where there have been children in the crowd… maybe the arrangements are not the best, if such a thing is even possible. I do not know what to say. My condolences to all the families and others there, Markkanen says to Iltalehte.
The tear gas caused panic
Eero Markkanen played for Indonesian PSM Makassar from January to September in 2019. Matti Raivio/AOP
In the match, Persebaya Surabaya defeated the home team FC Arema by 3-2, and after the final whistle, the supporters of the home team, upset by the result, rushed onto the field.
The crowd of about 3,000 people was met by police officers who kicked, hit with batons and finally resorted to tear gas. The widespread gas raised panic and simultaneously drove people to the exits of the stadium, where many were crushed to death.
Mistakes might also have been made before the match, as the minister of security was present at the stadium, which attracted 38,000 spectators Mahfud MD’s including 4,000 tickets sold over capacity. A working group has been assigned to investigate the stadium disaster, which includes, among other things, government officials and representatives of the ministry, football organizations and the media.
One consequence already seen is that the local police chief was fired on Monday. President of Indonesia Either Widodo has promised the families of the victims financial compensation for the loss within the current week.
Indonesia is supposed to host the Under-20 World Cup next summer, but the hosting is now in jeopardy due to Saturday’s events. The families of the victims and human rights activists attribute the escalation of events to the police’s decision to try to calm the situation with tear gas. The international football association Fifa has absolutely forbidden the use of tear gas in stadiums for the very reason that it may cause fast and chaotic movement in a large crowd.
A fanatical audience
According to Markkanen, the presence of the police was typical in local matches, but he never witnessed the takeover of the field or the use of the stunning means proven on Saturday during the short season spent at PSM Makassar.
– This time they apparently quite sensitively started to defend themselves with tear gas, the 31-year-old attacker thinks.
It became clear to Markkanen in Indonesia that football is something that arouses emotions for the locals. He describes the Indonesian fans as “really fanatical”, but stresses that he has always felt safe.
– When we went to play the Cup final, we went there in such an army car. Just because if the fans happen to throw a bus with something. There, you know how to prepare for the fans getting a little hot.
However, it is dangerous for supporters in Indonesia. According to Save Our Soccer, which keeps statistics on violence in the country’s football, there were 78 match-related deaths before Saturday in the last 28 years.
The Luzhniki disaster
The Kanjuruhani stadium tragedy may be the saddest in football history in terms of the number of deaths.
In 1982, Spartak Moscow hosted HFC Haarlem from the Netherlands at the Luzhinki Stadium in a Uefa Cup match that ended in shocking events as supporters who had already left the stands rushed back to see the final moments of the match.
The wintry weather conditions and the questionable actions of the stadium’s security staff led to the mass of supporters moving in different directions getting stuck in the exits. According to official information, there were 66 dead, but unofficial estimates suggest that there were as many as 340.
The Soviet media remained silent about the casualties, and relatives of the victims were forbidden to bring memorials to the stadium. It wasn’t until the end of the 80s that people learned more about the tragedy and its scale.
Sources: BBC, AFP, NPR
People remembered those who lost their lives outside the Kanjuruhan Stadium on Monday. PDO
Destroyed police cars were on the field as a reminder of the sad events. PDO