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JAKARTA. – Indonesian police wrongly used tear gas inside a soccer stadium to disperse rioting fans, an internal oversight official said on Tuesday, while the country’s soccer federation banned two club officials over the chaos that killed at least 125 people.
In one of the world’s worst stadium disasters, hundreds of spectators were crushed as they tried to flee the overpacked stadium in Malang, East Java on Saturday, after police fired tear gas to disperse agitated fans of the losing home team, Arema FC, who had poured onto the pitch. Police said 125 died, while the Malang city health department put the death toll at 131.
Indonesia’s soccer federation (PSSI) said the club’s security officer and the head of its organising committee would be banned from the sport for life, and fined the club 250 million rupiah (US$16 398).
“There were many weaknesses from the organising committee,” Erwin Tobing, head of the association’s disciplinary committee, said.
Officials from world football governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation would visit the country.
There were no orders to use tear gas on the crowd, said Albertus Wahyurudhanto, an official with the National Police Commission, an oversight body that reports to the country’s president. – CGTN.com
Online Reporter