174 dead during a football match, « a tragedy beyond the imaginable » for Fifa
A few hours after the announcement of this tragedy, Gianni Infantino, president of the International Football Federation, reacted, describing this disaster as a “tragedy beyond the imaginable”. « The football world is in shock after the tragic incidents in Indonesia, » added the Swiss leader, speaking of « a black day for all those who love football ».
Infantino also sent his « deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives. » « Together with Fifa and the football community, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the injured, as well as with the people of the Republic of Indonesia, the Asian Confederation, the Indonesian federation and the Indonesian league at this time. difficult,” he added.
What happened ?
Fans of the Arema FC team entered the pitch at the Kanjuruhan stadium in the eastern city of Malang after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. It was the first time in more than twenty years that Arema FC had lost to their great rival.
Police, who called the event a « riot », tried to persuade fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officers were killed. Many victims were trampled to death.
“Lack of oxygen”
“At one point, (the supporters) headed for the exit. But there was a build-up (of people) and in that process of build-up (people) got gasped, lack of oxygen,” he explained. The Indonesian government apologized for this incident and promised to investigate the circumstances of this crowd movement.
“We are sorry for this incident. […] It is a regrettable incident that hurts our football at a time when fans can watch a match in a stadium,” Indonesian Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali told Kompas TV. “We will thoroughly examine the organization of the match and the number of supporters (in the stadium). Will we ban the presence of supporters at matches again? We will discuss it,” he added. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered an investigation into the security of football matches in the country.
