Indonesia Football Stampede: Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede

Indonesia Football Stampede: Seventeen children were among at least 125 people killed in a soccer stampede in Indonesia at the weekend, officials said, as pressure builds on the Southeast Asian nation to explain how one of the world’s worst stadium disasters unfolded. Follow football NEWS & LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN

Indonesia Football Tragedy Timeline: Here is a detailed look and turn of events as the unfortunate stampede in the Indonesia Football game took shape, check out

Football Match Stampede: Big Football Riot in Indonesia, 127 killed, several injured and chaos in Hospitals after stampede at football match: Follow LIVE UPDATES

Indonesia Football Stampede: Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede

MALANG, INDONESIA – OCTOBER 01: Football supporters enter the pitch as security officers try to disperse them during a riot following a soccer match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, 01 October 2022. According to government officials, at least 174 people including police officers were killed mostly in stampedes after riots following a soccer match. (Photo by Suryanto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Violence and hooliganism have long been features of Indonesian football, especially in places such as Jakarta, the capital, but Saturday’s disaster in a small town in Java has thrown a spotlight on the problem.

“My family and I didn’t think it would turn out like this,” said Endah Wahyuni, the elder sister of two boys, Ahmad Cahyo, 15, and Muhammad Farel, 14, who died after being caught in the melee.

“They loved soccer, but never watched Arema live at Kanjuruhan stadium, this was their first time,” she added at her brothers’ funeral on Sunday, referring to the home side they backed.

Indonesia Football Stampede: Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede

MALANG, INDONESIA, OCTOBER 2: Residents and supporters of the Arema Malang FC light candles and pray together at the Gajayana Stadium, Malang, East Java, Indonesia on October 2, 2022. The candle lighting and prayer together are an act of solidarity and concern for the victims of the football match riots that killed hundreds of people. (Photo by Suryanto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The boys were among 17 children killed, said state news agency Antara, citing figures from the women’s empowerment and child protection ministry.

“Seventeen children died and seven were treated, but there is a possibility that could increase,” said Nahar, a ministry official.

Indonesian daily Koran Tempo ran a black front page on Monday, centred on the words “Our Football Tragedy”, printed in red along with a list of the dead.

Saturday’s deadly crush came as panicking spectators tried to escape the overpacked stadium after police fired tear gas to disperse fans from the losing home side who ran onto the pitch at the end of the match.

MALANG, INDONESIA – OCTOBER 2: People pass by a damaged police vehicle outside Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, on 02 October 2022. At least 127 people including police officers were killed mostly in stampedes after a clash between fans of two Indonesian soccer teams, according to the police. (Photo by Aman Rochman/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Home side Arema FC had lost the match 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya, though authorities had said tickets were not issued to Persebaya fans over security concerns.

The incident was a “dark day for all involved”, said FIFA, the governing body for world soccer, which has asked Indonesian football authorities for a report on the incident.

Its safety regulations say firearms or “crowd control gas” should not be used at matches. Police and sport officials have being sent to Malang to investigate an incident that ranks among the world’s deadliest stadium disasters.

Indonesia Football Stampede: Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede

MALANG, INDONESIA, OCTOBER 2: A man cries knowing that his family members were victims of a riot at a soccer match at a public hospital, in Malang, East Java, on October 2, 2022. At least 174 people, two of them police personnel, were reportedly killed due to a riot involving supporters of a football match last night. (Photo by Suryanto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“All those responsible should be held accountable for this disaster, regardless of their status or position,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

“It’s not enough for the national police and the Football Association of Indonesia to conduct their own investigation because they may be tempted to downplay or undermine full accountability for officials involved,” he added in a statement.

Indonesia Football Stampede: Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede

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