The Premier League has been told to postpone games until a full investigation into the stadium stampede and riots that left at least 125 supporters dead was conducted, per an order from Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday.
Widodo urged officials to review soccer match security protocols and to make this “the last football disaster at home.”
In one of the greatest football tragedies, more than 320 people were also hurt when supporters stampeded during a match riot in Malang.
Following the tragedy at Kanjuruhan Stadium, the league previously declared a one-week suspension of the competition, and the Indonesian Football Association said it will conduct an inquiry.
East Java Provincial Police Chief Nico Aventa told reporters that after the game, which Persibaya Surabaya defeated Arima 3-2, supporters of the losing side swarmed the field and officials fired tear gas canisters, resulting in a stampede and cases of suffocation.
The stampede happened as fans ran for the exit gate, Niko claimed, adding that things “turned into pandemonium, the fans started hitting the officers and smashing cars.”
Local media released video footage that showed a stream of spectators entering the stadium, fights, the use of tear gas, and images of comatose spectators being carried by other spectators.
One of the victims was struck in the head, and a five-year-old child was among the deceased, the head of a neighbouring hospital where accident victims are being treated, informed Metro TV.
No guns or “crowd control gas” should be utilised by security or law enforcement, according to FIFA’s safety regulations.
In a statement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the tragic occurrence in Indonesia had left the football world “in shock” and that it had been a “dark day for all parties involved.”
The general secretary of the Indonesian Football Association, Yunus Nosi, responded by stating that FIFA had asked for a report on the incident and that a team from the association had been dispatched to the accident site to conduct an investigation.
In a related matter, Indonesian Security Minister Muhammad Mahfouz claimed via Instagram that the stadium’s stands were full, meaning that 42,000 tickets had been made available for purchase despite the fact that the venue only has room for 38,000 people.
Zainuddin Amali, Indonesia’s sports minister, said to Kompas TV that the country is thinking of forbidding spectators from going to games in the wake of the catastrophe.
After 125 fans die, Indonesia’s president suspends the league.
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