Spectators suffocated and were trampled to death as they attempted to flee from tear gas fired by police into the grandstands and outside the venue,with hundreds trapped at exit gates that were locked or too small to accommodate the rush.
Now,as Indonesia President Joko Widodo bids to rehabilitate the country’s shattered football reputation by staging next year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup,those fingered with responsibility for the horrific events in Malang are facing criminal charges.
Three police commanders who allowed or ordered the deployment of tear gas and three other officials who had oversight of the top-division match and its security arrangements were detained in East Java on Monday night. They included Akhmad Hadian Lukita,the director of league organiser PT LIB,and the head of Arema’s match committee.
Indonesian national police said they were finalising cases against the six to file to the prosecutor’s office. If found guilty they could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
The police investigation has run parallel to a probe by a fact-finding team commissioned by Widodo,known as Jokowi,which includes members of multiple government departments and football experts.
The taskforce,headed by Security Minister Mahfud MD,determined that the indiscriminate use of tear gas was the primary cause for the deadly incident,in which two police officers also lost their lives.
Football officials have also come under major scrutiny for their handling of the match,which was attended by 42,000 people despite the stadium’s 36,000 capacity.