The History Of The Malang Stadium And The Tragedy Witness Hundreds Of Aremania Supporters Died

The performance of the Malang Argoran Stadium. (Photo: Doc. Special)

YOGYAKARTA - Indonesian football experienced a very big sorrow on October 1, 2022.

A total of 129 people were reported to have died in a tragedy that occurred at the Arema FC Stadium.

The tragedy occurred at the Kanjuruhan stadium, Malang Regency, East Java in Arema's match against Surabaya.

In total, until this news was written, there were approximately 180 people who were still undergoing treatment at the hospital.

In addition to the loss of human lives, the riots that ended in this tragedy were recorded as 13 vehicles destroyed, with 10 from the police.

This tragedy is a history of a major tragedy in the world related to the death of a supporter, number one was the tragedy of The Estadio Nacional Disaster that killed 328 people.

The number two is actually the closest thing to the Stadio Kanjuruhan Malang.

While history records that number two there is the Accra Sports Stadium Disaster which killed 127 humans. What we often hear as football fans is the tragedy of the Hillsborough Disaster.

The history of the Kanjuruhan stadium that will always be remembered is the death of 129 Supporters which just occurred on October 1, 2022.

The history of the name of the Kanjuruhan Stadium is taken from the name of the kingdom with the Hindu Buddhist character in East Java. It is a kingdom famous for its king Gajayana.

According to a source on Wikipedia, the stadium was located on Jalan Trunojoyo, Kepanjen District, Malang Regency, which was built in 1997 at a cost of up to Rp35 billion.

The Kanjuruhan Malang Stadium was inaugurated by President Megawati on June 9, 2004. The first match was Arema against PSS in the 2004 Pertamina League Division I competition.

Arema won the match 1-0. That was the first time Arema moved from the Gajayana stadium to Kanjuruhan.

An Eye Witness to the Victory of Singo Edan, Becomes an Eye Witness to the Supporter's Tragedy

Before the tragedy occurred, Kanjuruhan witnessed the journey of Singo Edan's squad to reach the Copa Indonesia crown in 2005 and 2006. Before the final round in the two editions of the Indonesian Cup, Arema won at the Kanjuruhan Stadium which led to the final match, and lifted the championship trophy twice in a row.

Kanjuruhan Stadium Malang also witnessed Aremania becoming The Best Supporter at the 2006 Copa Indonesia, but the awarding of titles and prizes was not symbolically held at Kanjuruhan Stadium.

Arema has also been the champion of the highest caste football competition titled Indonesia Super League (ISL) 2009-2010.

At that time, the awarding of the champion was held through the Star War match between Arema Indonesia and the All-Star Team, which was a combination of 22 players who played in ISL on June 6, 2010.

There are various facilities in the Kanjuruhan stadium, namely:

1. MAIN FIELD

It is a national standard football field, complete with an athletic track, with spectator stands with a capacity of 40,000 people. To meet sanitation needs, the stadium is equipped with 28 toilet units in the economy tribune and 18 toilet rooms in the stadium building.

2. OUTSIDE FIELD

Located to the south, is a standard soccer field with an athletic track and a 2-meter high fence used for soccer and athletic training.

3. SKATES

The roller skate track existed in 2013 with the construction using APBD funds. The track is 200 meters away.

4. SWIMMING POOL

The integrated Sports Center, the swimming pool near the Kanjuruhan Stadium was inaugurated in early 2018. An international standard swimming pool consists of three pools, namely an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor pool, and a swimming pool for Loncat Indah.