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Indonesian soccer tragedy: Here’s what you need to know

By Amy Kaplan

SEMARANG, INDONESIA - OCTOBER 2: Football supporters gather and pray and light candles as a tribute to the victims of the riots in a soccer match at the Jatidiri Stadium in Semarang, Central Java Province, Indonesia on October 2, 2022. According to government officials, at least 174 people including police officers were killed mostly in stampedes after riots following a soccer match between Persebaya Surabaya and Arema Malang at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia on October 1, 2022. (Photo by WF Sihardian/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
SEMARANG, INDONESIA - OCTOBER 2: Football supporters gather and pray and light candles as a tribute to the victims of the riots in a soccer match at the Jatidiri Stadium in Semarang, Central Java Province, Indonesia on October 2, 2022. According to government officials, at least 174 people including police officers were killed mostly in stampedes after riots following a soccer match between Persebaya Surabaya and Arema Malang at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia on October 1, 2022. (Photo by WF Sihardian/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /
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Indonesian soccer tragedy: Here’s what you need to know.

On Saturday, October 1, fans rushed to the field in the Kanjuruhan Stadium during a professional soccer game in Malang, Indonesia. The police, in response, fired tear gas into the crowds which created a stampede to flee from the gas.

Here’s what you need to know in easy-to-read bullet points:

  • At press time, 125 people have been killed, the New York Times reported. 
  • An additional 300 have been injured, according to Inspector General Nico Afinta, the East Java Police chief.
  • The victims are believed to have been “trampled on and suffocated to death” according to Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.
  • So far, there have been reports of deaths by “beatings” or anger from the loss.
  • These numbers make the incident one of the most deadliest incidents in soccer’s long history, ranking next to a riot in 1964 where at least 300 people were killed in Peru. 
  • President Joko Widodo called for a “thorough investigation into what happened” while giving a televised address. “I regret that this tragedy occurred,” Joko said. “And I hope this is the last football tragedy in the country.
  • The use of tear gas is illegal, according to FIFA
  • Inspector General Nico Afinta defended the tear gas “because there was anarchy.”
  • Photos have been published showing overturned cars and bodies being carried off the field.
  • Reports indicate the stadium was over capacity with 42,000 tickets given for a stadium with 38,000.
  • The home team (Arema) lost to Persebaya Surabaya 3-2

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is obtained.

Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this tragedy.

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