Persija’s next match to be held in Cilegon
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Wed, May 30 2012, 5:07 PM
The Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta will not host the upcoming match of soccer club Persija of Jakarta after three men died in a post-game brawl between its fans and fans of Persib of Bandung on Sunday.
The incident forced Indonesia Super League (ISL) management to move Persija’s next match against PSPS of Pekanbaru from the Bung Karno Stadium to the Krakatau Steel Stadium in Cilegon, Banten, on June 3, according to the Jakarta Police.
“The move is necessary to avoid a possible brawl. Besides, it also symbolizes that we are still grieving,” Jakarta Police operations chief Sr. Comr. Agung Budi Maryanto told reporters on Wednesday.
Agung said that ISL management had once considered postponing Persija’s upcoming match against PSPS.
The deadly brawl also left five men injured.
Fan bases of Persija, known as Jakmania, and Persib, known as Vikings, are notorious for their grudge against each other.
As of Wednesday, the police had questioned 18 people, including Jakmania’s coordinator, Persija members and police officers who were in charge of supervising the match, he said.
“The Tanah Abang Police precinct has also detained six soccer fans who took drugs, sharp objects and fireworks to last Sunday’s match,” he said. (riz/swd)
