Kanjuruhan Tragedy, Indonesian Sports Mourn

Illustration of the Kanjuruhan tragedy. (Antara)

The Indonesian sports world is in mourning. The match between Arema FC against Persebaya which ended with a score of 2-3 ended tragically. As of Sunday, October 2, as stated by the Deputy Governor of East Java, Emil Dardak, there were 174 deaths. Meanwhile, 11 seriously injured were treated at 8 referral hospitals.

The Kanjuruhan tragedy became the biggest tragedy in Indonesia and even number two in the world. There were 174 supporters who died as a result of the riots caused by the Arema FC match against Persebaya Surabaya in the 2022 Liga 1 competition at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java.

The death toll at the Kanjuruhan Stadium on Saturday (1/10/2022) night has exceeded the tragedy that occurred at the Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana. The incident in one of the countries on the African continent killed 126 people on May 9, 2001.

The incident at the Kanjuruhan Stadium stems from the anger of the host fans who did not accept Arema FC's 2-3 loss to Persebaya. The fans rage onto the pitch. Two police cars were targeted by supporters. The K9 car caught fire and the other unit was badly damaged and flipped over.

Security officers have tried to prevent the chaos that occurred at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. However, because the numbers were not comparable, the officers finally fired tear gas, making it difficult for the fans to breathe and fainting.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked the Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora), Zainudin Amali, General Chairperson of the All-Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), Iwan Bule, and National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to thoroughly evaluate both its implementation and security.

President Jokowi also asked the Indonesian Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin and the Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa to monitor medical services in the Kanjuruhan tragedy.

Football Fanaticism

It is undeniable that football is a popular sport in Indonesia and the world. His fans are very fanatical. So that every football match, especially if the favorite team that competes is always crowded with spectators.

The drama on the pitch even carried over to the fanatical supporters. The high tension spread to the audience. Excessive fanaticism. Always want the favorite team to win. No matter what situation. So fanatical, supporters seem to represent their favorite team. Want their favorite team to always win. Sometimes they don't even care about life. This excessive fanaticism is often used by organizers. Ignoring stadium capacity.

This could also be what happened at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. As published by VOI, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said that before the match the officials had put forward various proposals. Starting from the match was held in the afternoon, not at night. The number of spectators must be adjusted to the stadium's capacity of 38,000 people.

But unfortunately, said Mahfud, the officials' suggestion regarding the timing of the match to the number of spectators was not carried out by the organizing committee. The committee is very excited. The match was still held at night, and said Mahfud, the number of tickets printed was 42,000.

The security forces must also be evaluated. Especially about the use of tear gas. Because the use of tear gas is prohibited by FIFA. It is stated in Chapter III on Steward, article 19 on Steward on the sidelines. It is forbidden to carry or use firearms or crowd control gas.

From the Kanjuruhan tragedy, the government, PSSI, League 1 managers and clubs must be improved. A football match should be watchable. An entertainment. Something fun. Become a unifier. So all aspects must be evaluated in total. The death toll has fallen. Even as the biggest. It becomes the world's spotlight. Don't let this tragedy happen again. Those who are responsible must be punished severely. Don't leave it. (*)