125 Dead in Soccer Stampede

Saturday, October 1st at an Indonesian soccer match angry fans of Arena FC rushed the field after they lost to Persebaya Surabaya. They began throwing handheld objects at the officials and players as well as fighting the opposing fans. Police officers inside the stadium began throwing tear gas into the crowds to break them up as well as throwing them into the stands where people were just trying to leave the stadium. This caused mass panic and the 42,000 people in attendance began rushing towards the 20 exits inside the stadium; however , multiple exits had not been open after the game had ended. 

The people are criticizing the police officers in the stadium for firing the tear gas into the stands causing all the peaceful game goers to make a run to the exits and beginning the stampedes. There is also controversy about why all the gates were not open prior to the end of the game as they are supposed to be open for the entirety of the game. Experts claim that stampedes and the 42,000 people in a 38,000 person stadium were the main cause of death at the match.

Following the incident the league PT Liga Indonesia Baru suspended games for up to a week to offer their condolences. This is not the first time violence has been involved at Football matches in India and it has been an ongoing problem especially for important games.

This truly was a horrific incident and hopefully in the future stadiums, leagues, and police everywhere can improve their crowd control and tactics to control field rushers and rioters. FIFA rules state that no firearms or crowd control gas should be carried in the stadium by police for the fans safety. There is an investigation going on about why the stampedes began and to truly learn what caused the chaos inside the building.