“130 people dead at a Soccer game in Indonesia” was the statement the news was full of after a game at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang Indonesia. The game occurred between Arema FC and their rivals Persebaya Surabaya on October 3rd, 2022. Some people may think, “how could a soccer game go this wrong?” Well, it’s a mixture of inadequate security, bad fans, and an even worse police force. 

Washingtonpost.com states, “Police’s use of tear gas in response to several hundred fans entering the field caused a huge surge at the southern end of Kanjuruhan stadium, where survivors say the bulk of the deaths occurred.” Most of the 130 confirmed deaths came from the police using tear gas to try and drive off the crowd and get them from crowding the field, but in turn, this caused everybody to panic and rush to get to the nearest exits where people were crushed against railings and walls causing even more deaths. CNN had an interview with the IPW and they said, “This instance of abuse of tear gas by police is unlawful and amounts to torture,” she said.“Tear gas is illegal in warfare – but why is it still legal for domestic use?” 

The police force was the cause of some of the deaths because people were also dying from lack of oxygen, because of the smoke and tear gas. This was a totally unnecessary measure made by the police as said by Indonesian Police Watch.  So why were all these fans so mad in the first place? Well CNN says, “Supporters of Arema FC and rival Persebaya Surabaya, two of Indonesia’s biggest soccer teams, clashed in the stands after home team Arema FC was defeated 3-2 at a match in the city of Malang in East Java, police said.” Sho Yamamoto makes the last goal to win the game for Persebaya Surabaya, Malang’s biggest rival and that’s when the crowd swarmed the field and caused the police force to act out, ultimately causing all the deaths.

 This was actually the first time in 20 years that Persebaya Surabaya beat Arema FC in their home stadium. Yamamoto in an interview said, “In many ways, it became a goal that I would never forget.” Asahi.com also stated that “He and his teammates were trapped aboard an armed vehicle inside the stadium for nearly two hours as they watched the chaos outside” Sho Yamamoto also said that he had “mixed feelings” about scoring the winning goal. This was definitely a tragic time for the entire soccer/football community and will be remembered as one of the worst wins in history.