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Grieving father hopes stepson’s soccer death is last

Dangerous game: Police disperse a riot that broke out over a match between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung on Sunday

Arya Dipa and Iman Mahditama (The Jakarta Post)
Bandung/Jakarta
Wed, May 30, 2012

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Grieving father hopes stepson’s soccer death is last

D

span class="inline inline-left">Dangerous game: Police disperse a riot that broke out over a match between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung on Sunday. Three people were killed when supporters from the opposing sides clashed. Antara/Andika WahyuTeguh Rianto, 56, sat on the porch of his house in Pasirleutik hamlet in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday, waiting for the body of his stepson.

The porch was to be the final place for Rangga Cipta Nugraha, 22, who was found dead along with other two people at the end of a soccer match between Persib Bandung and Persija Jakarta at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Sunday.

“I’m trying to calm myself down,” Teguh told The Jakarta Post.

He said he could not bear staying in the house to watch Rangga’s grandmother’s grieving.

Rangga, who graduated from Bandung’s Postal Polytechnic, worked in Jakarta and typically returned to Pasirleutik on the weekends.

But he did not come home last week, which aroused concern among his relatives, Teguh said.

“He would usually return home on Friday, but he called us on Saturday and said that on Sunday he wanted to watch a soccer match in Senayan, Jakarta,” Teguh said.

“I told him to be careful.”

Teguh said that Rangga’s death had shocked him and his family.

When he learned the news about the deaths in a post-game brawl, Teguh said that he had not expected Rangga would be involved: Based on information from the media, there were two victims whose identification were not known. One was a teenager, the other was in his 30s.

“I didn’t think it was him because my son was 22 years old,” Teguh said.

However, early this week, Teguh received the sad news from Rangga’s friend Yoga, who also watched the soccer game.

“Yoga was injured in the clashes and treated in a separate hospital. After Yoga regained consciousness, he tried to find Rangga, who we eventually learned was at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital,” Teguh said.

“The moment I received the news, I felt uneasy,” he added.

Rangga’s body arrived in Bandung at 4 p.m. and was buried soon thereafter.

“I really hope that Rangga will be the last casualty of soccer brutality and hooliganism. I don’t wish for any other victims, as quite a lot of people have already become victims,” Teguh said.

In Jakarta, the police’s spokesman proposed that future matches between soccer clubs whose fans traditionally fight each other be held in nuetral, third-party stadiums.

“Let’s say if Persija and Persib are scheduled for a match, the match can be held in a city far away from Bandung and Jakarta,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters.

“The farther, the better,” Rikwanto added, suggesting that matches be held in cities located on another island.

“That way, the possibility of a brawl between both club’s supporters can be minimized significantly,” Rikwanto said.

The other victims in the mayhem on Sunday were identified as Dani Maulana and Lazuardi.

Five others were injured after the match that ended in a 2-2 draw at Bung Karno Stadium.

Persija’s supporters’ club is known as Jakmania, while Persib’s fans are grouped under the moniker of the Vikings.

Both are known for their bitter mutual animosity. Brawls can be expected every time Persija and Persib square off on the pitch.

Rikwanto said that the police had questioned 15 people regarding the incident, including the police officers who first found the victims at the scene of the crime.

He urged all soccer fans to cease their violent behavior and to stop brawling with rivals.

“They must be able to turn their fanaticism and esprit de corps into something positive,” he said.

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