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akmania, a group of avid fans of soccer club Persija Jakarta, is facing scrutiny following scenes of chaos that occurred during the President’s Cup final between the capital city side and Bali United over the weekend.

Members of the crowd damaged parts of Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Central Jakarta, including the stadium’s entrance gate and a guardrail in the grandstand.

Nearly 90,000 fans flocked to the GBK Stadium to witness the historic moment when Persija ended its 17-year trophy drought. The stadium’s limited seating capacity, however, forced tens of thousands of fans to remain outside.

Trouble broke out when hundreds of fans outside wanted to enter the stadium and broke down the gate.

The management of the GBK sports complex had launched an investigation to gather evidence to file a police report on the vandalism, GBK director of business and development Gatot Tetuko said, adding that he estimated it would cost Rp 150 million (US$10,500) to repair the damages.

The stadium will serve as the main venue for the upcoming Asian Games in August.

While the President’s Cup organizers have expressed their commitment to covering the expenses needed for the repairs, Gatot said that legal action was needed to act as a deterrent to would-be perpetrators, particularly as the club would use the stadium for its continental AFC Cup campaign.

“It’s not easy to control people, but we can see there’s something wrong with the crowd control and security system. How can the gate be broken?” said Diky Soemarno, a Jakmania spokesperson. Diky said that security officers often took a firm approach with them, which could fuel anger.

During the post-match celebrations, some fans invaded the pitch after breaking down a grandstand fence.

The police deployed 6,000 personnel to provide security for the match, which President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and several other high-ranking officials attended.

Jakmania members have earned a reputation for being involved in crowd trouble. In 2016, five police officers were injured, with one needing to have his eye surgically removed, after a clash with fans at the stadium.

Jakmania has over 80,000 registered members; however, Diky said some of the club’s fans, who were not officially registered, had damaged the club’s image by their bad behavior.

Some examples of such behavior on Persija match days has included not paying public bus fares and trying to enter the stadium without a ticket. Brawls between Persija fans and fans of archrivals Persib Bandung have also led to scores of casualties.

“[Violence] is never justified and we are trying to change that culture. But I believe it should start from the top,” Diky said, adding that his side would be willing to cooperate with authorities to identify the perpetrators of the chaos.

He argued that young Jakartans, many of whom came from low-income families, could not channel their energy to positive activities because of a lack of public facilities available to them. Many shopping malls can be spotted throughout the capital, but few soccer pitches.

Apart from the GBK Stadium, the capital does not have another soccer stadium. Menteng Stadium in Central Jakarta and Lebak Bulus Stadium in South Jakarta have been demolished to make way for a public park and an MRT train depot, respectively.

The club has been forced to find a home base outside the city to compete in the top-tier
league, such as in Surakarta, Central Java, and Bekasi in West Java, which has impacted the club’s financial situation because of the cost of travel.

Persija president director I Gede Widiade lamented that the club’s fans were often engaged in crowd trouble.

“It’s very unfortunate because the incident has overshadowed our victory,” he said.