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PSSI shifts blame for Kanjuruhan tragedy, fines Arema Rp 250 million
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This picture taken on Oct. 1, 2022 shows people running with an injured spectator after a soccer match between Arema FC and Persebaya at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java. (AFP/AFP)
T
he Soccer Association of Indonesia’s (PSSI) disciplinary committee on Tuesday deemed Arema FC to be at fault for Saturday’s Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy in Malang, East Java.
The committee fined the Malang-based soccer club Rp 250 million (US$16,400) despite public calls for PSSI members, including chairman Mochammad Iriawan, to also take responsibility for the disaster and resign.
Aside from the fine, PSSI also barred Arema from playing at their home ground for the rest of the Liga 1 season.
“From our meeting regarding Arema and the organizers, we decided to ban them from playing in their home base in Malang,” PSSI disciplinary committee head Erwin Tobing told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “Any matches with Arema as the home team must be held at a stadium at least 250 kilometers away from Malang.”
Currently, Arema plays its home games in the Kanjuruhan Stadium, including in the team’s 3-2 defeat to longtime rival Persebaya Surabaya that resulted in a deadly stampede that left 125 people dead after police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse unruly fans. The Kanjuruhan tragedy is the third-deadliest soccer-related disaster in history and the deadliest in Asia.
The PSSI disciplinary committee also punished two Arema officials deemed to be responsible for the incident. Arema’s head of executive committee Abdul Haris and head of security Seko Sutrisno have been given lifetime bans from Indonesian soccer, effective immediately.
“[Abdul] was responsible for ensuring the safety of the event. He had to anticipate every possible outcome, which he failed to do,” Erwin said. He cited the locked gates, which partly caused the pile-up and asphyxiation of many of the victims, as evidence of Abdul’s negligence.
