At least 174 dead in football stampede. The fans invaded the pitch the stampede took place after police tear-gassed them. Arema FC lost to bitter rivals at the overcrowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java. The game ened Arem 2 – 3 Persebaya . Arema is in 9th position and Persebaya in 10th position on the log.
“It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” said Nico Afinta, police chief in East Java, adding that two police officers were among the dead.
“We would like to convey that… not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3,000 who entered the pitch,” he said.
Fleeing fans “went out to one point at the exit. Then there was a build-up, in the process of accumulation there was shortness of breath, lack of oxygen”, the officer added.
The Indonesian football association (PSSI) said it had launched an investigation, adding that the incident had “tarnished the face of Indonesian football”.
