‘We are devastated’, the Chilean coach of Arema FC tells RFI after the tragedy

First modification: 04/10/2022 – 12:28

Abdul Haris, leader of the organization committee of Arema FC, and a member of the security “must no longer carry out activities in the world of football, for life”, said, in a press conference, Erwin Tobing, president of the committee of discipline of the Indonesian Football Federation, adding that the club will have to pay a fine of 250 million Indonesian rupiahs (about 16,670 euros, 16,345 dollars).

police investigation

The Indonesian authorities are also investigating the actions of the police in this stampede that killed 131 people, including dozens of children. East Java province police chief Nico Afinta, who was replaced on Monday, apologized for the security lapses that caused the tragedy. Nine officers were suspended and another 19 are under investigation, said national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo.

The Indonesian government suspended the national league and created a commission to investigate the tragedy whose work should be completed in two or three weeks. Since the first details of the stampede emerged over the weekend, calls for an independent investigation have increased.

According to witnesses, it all started when the agents fired tear gas into the crowded stands to prevent an invasion of the field. Arema FC fans set up a makeshift center in Malang to receive complaints and said they will file a complaint against the agents whom they accuse of acting indiscriminately and disproportionately.

“People panicked”

“We lose the game and our fans enter the field. After half an hour, back from the press conference, I find myself in the same locker room. We find that people begin to arrive with symptoms of suffocation, in which my players and the club’s doctors begin to help resuscitate them and in that we realize that on the pitch it was a real war between our fans and the police, where the police launched tear gas and for that reason people panicked,” Javier Roca, the Chilean coach of Arema FC, told RFI.

“In the same locker room, four boys died in front of me, in the arms of our players. So we are devastated with this. At this time, as a team, apart from being very sad, we are focused on going to visit the families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. So the League is on hold until further notice. Our team now had a sanction prior to the remainder of the tournament, playing it outside our city and without an audience”, adds Roca.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the tragedy a “dark day” for football. FIFA security regulations prohibit the use of gas by police or security guards in stadiums.

And with the AFP