A riot broke out during an Indonesian football match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday evening.
The riot began immediately after the final whistle, with Persebaya Surabaya winning the match 3-2. Thousands of Arema FC fans rushed onto the field from the stands. As a result, multiple local police and members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces moved to enforce security.
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According to local media, skirmishes broke out between the security forces and the fans on the pitch, with objects being thrown before security officers began using tear gas. Per Suryamalang, tear gas was used on both fans on the field and those in the stands.
This is said to have resulted in mass panic among fans, as they attempted to escape the gas and in doing so, many fell to the ground and were inadvertently trampled on by others.
It is said that many supporters experienced shortness of breath after inhaling the gas, while many others lost consciousness on the pitch.
Club Persebaya’s official Twitter account posted on Saturday evening:
Persebaya’s extended family deeply mourns the loss of life after the Arema FC vs Persebaya match. No single life is worth football. We pray for the victims and may the families left behind be given strength
General chair Mochamad Iriawan also released a statement (via Daily Star ):
PSSI regrets the actions of Aremania supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. We are sorry and apologise to the families of the victims and all parties for the incident.
For that PSSI immediately formed an investigation team and immediately left for Malang
Following the incident, all remaining BRI Liga 1 matches scheduled for this week have been postponed, and the Indonesian FA has declared Arema will not host any more matches for the remainder of the campaign.