Kanjuruhan Stadium Tragedy Becomes Viral News in China

A screenshot of the Chinese news broadcast CCTV 13 about the deadly tragedy of the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java, on Saturday (1/10/2022) night. (Antara/M. Irfan Ilmie)

JAKARTA - The deadly riot after the Arema FC-Persebaya football match on Saturday, October 1 night at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java, became the focus of several media in China.

CGTN, China's international television broadcaster, on Sunday morning published a report on the riots.

As of Sunday morning, as many as 127 people were reported to have died in the bloody tragedy following the match.

"The tragedy occurred after the football match between Arema Malang and Persebaya Surabaya", said the newsreader of The World Today, a program broadcast by CGTN in English version every morning.

CCTV 13, China's most popular news channel, also ran its main report on the bloody tragedy at Kanjuruhan Stadium on Saturday night.

"The local police are investigating the incident", CCTV 13 news anchor said in the Chinese version on Sunday morning.

Not to be missed, the popular short video messaging platform in China, Kuai Shou, showed videos of the deadly incident at the home of the soccer club nicknamed "The Mad Singo".

The videos were uploaded by several local Chinese-language media, such as Tianmu Xinwen, Hongxing Xinwen, Xibeiwang Kantai, and Shichuan Guangcha.

"Yinni tiyuchang baoli shijian", wrote Tianmu Xinwun, in a news video uploaded by several users of the Kuai Shou account. The title of the video in Indonesian means "Tragedy of Riots at the Indonesian Stadium".

Tianmu Xinwun, in addition, provided the subtitles "127 supporters and two policemen killed" and "the majority of victims due to tear gas".

The media also quoted a statement from the Head of the East Java Regional Police, Inspector General of Police Nico Afinta.

In just a few hours since being uploaded on Kuai Shou, videos of the bloody tragedy at Kanjuruhan Stadium have gone viral in China, the country that has the largest number of netizens in the world.

The riots on Saturday night occurred after the host Arema FC entertained their guests, Persebaya.

Some of the mass of supporters, nicknamed Aremania, pushed into the field after their idol team lost to Persebaya with a score of 2-3.

The Persebaya players immediately left the field and Kanjuruhan Stadium using four police cars, and barracudas.

The riot got worse, several flares and various other objects were thrown by the supporters toward the field.

Joint security officers from the police and the TNI tried to dispel the crowd.