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Indonesia football crush: How the disast

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Indonesians are demanding answers after a football match between two rival clubs turned into one of the worst disasters in the sport's history.

On Saturday night, thousands of fans rushed onto the pitch after their home team lost a game at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java. Police responded by firing tear gas.

In the panic to escape, people were trampled and crushed at the exits. At least 125 - including dozens of children, one as young as three - were killed, the authorities say.

Some fans died in the arms of the players they had come to cheer on just hours earlier, the coach of home team Arema FC revealed.

"I can only mention a terrifying scenario," Sergio Silva, a Portuguese star for the side said. "Police cars on fire, everything broken, corridors with blood, people's shoes.

"People were desperate, they had seen people die and were trying to escape," he told Portugese sports newspaper, A Bola.


Authorities on Monday launched an investigation - following allegations of heavy-handed policing. Public anger has escalated - with mourners chanting "murderers" at officials. At least 18 police officers are being investigated for their action on field.

So how did this all unfold? Here's what we know so far.

A fraught history

There had been concerns in the lead-up to the game - between Arema FC and long-time rivals, Persebaya Surabaya, another East Java-based team - as violence between fans was not unprecedented.

So extra precautions were put in place - including more security "for preventive measures", Maike Ira Puspita, deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Football Association, told the BBC.

They also banned visiting Persebaya fans from coming to the match, meaning it was just a home crowd - an over-capacity attendance of 42,000 people - who roared on their team on Saturday night.

The FA also deployed extra police. And during the game's first half, all was "manageable". "The security happening like usual," says Ms Puspita. "Half-time was ok."


But when the game ended, Arema had lost 3-2.


"And this is the point when some of the supporters ran onto the pitch. And it all just started to break out from there," Ms Puspita said.

It is unclear - and in fierce contention - what exactly happened next. Authorities are unwilling to even specify a chronology of what happened on the field.

"I think it's better for all of us to wait for the investigation team," Ms Puspita told the BBC.

But what is known is that after the final whistle blew, Arema fans moved onto the pitch, where the team's footballers were gathered in the middle.

Sergio Silva said many of those streaming onto the field had appeared to come to "show support, not attack". But recognising the situation was escalating, the team returned to the changing rooms.


At some point, police began to fire tear gas into the thousands-strong crowd, volleys aimed at dispersing them. One eyewitness told the BBC that police fired tear gas rounds "continuously and fast".

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Indonesians are demanding answers after a football match between two rival clubs turned into one of the worst disasters in the sport's history.

On Saturday night, thousands of fans rushed onto the pitch after their home team lost a game at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java. Police responded by firing tear gas.

In the panic to escape, people were trampled and crushed at the exits. At least 125 - including dozens of children, one as young as three - were killed, the authorities say.

Some fans died in the arms of the players they had come to cheer on just hours earlier, the coach of home team Arema FC revealed.

"I can only mention a terrifying scenario," Sergio Silva, a Portuguese star for the side said. "Police cars on fire, everything broken, corridors with blood, people's shoes.

"People were desperate, they had seen people die and were trying to escape," he told Portugese sports newspaper, A Bola.


Authorities on Monday launched an investigation - following allegations of heavy-handed policing. Public anger has escalated - with mourners chanting "murderers" at officials. At least 18 police officers are being investigated for their action on field.

So how did this all unfold? Here's what we know so far.

A fraught history

There had been concerns in the lead-up to the game - between Arema FC and long-time rivals, Persebaya Surabaya, another East Java-based team - as violence between fans was not unprecedented.

So extra precautions were put in place - including more security "for preventive measures", Maike Ira Puspita, deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Football Association, told the BBC.

They also banned visiting Persebaya fans from coming to the match, meaning it was just a home crowd - an over-capacity attendance of 42,000 people - who roared on their team on Saturday night.

The FA also deployed extra police. And during the game's first half, all was "manageable". "The security happening like usual," says Ms Puspita. "Half-time was ok."


But when the game ended, Arema had lost 3-2.


"And this is the point when some of the supporters ran onto the pitch. And it all just started to break out from there," Ms Puspita said.

It is unclear - and in fierce contention - what exactly happened next. Authorities are unwilling to even specify a chronology of what happened on the field.

"I think it's better for all of us to wait for the investigation team," Ms Puspita told the BBC.

But what is known is that after the final whistle blew, Arema fans moved onto the pitch, where the team's footballers were gathered in the middle.

Sergio Silva said many of those streaming onto the field had appeared to come to "show support, not attack". But recognising the situation was escalating, the team returned to the changing rooms.


At some point, police began to fire tear gas into the thousands-strong crowd, volleys aimed at dispersing them. One eyewitness told the BBC that police fired tear gas rounds "continuously and fast".

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