Page 31 - bon-dia-aruba-20221003

A31
SPORTS Dialuna 3 OctOber 2022

125 die as tear gas triggers crush at Indonesia soccer match

(AP) — Police firing tear mainder of the season.
gas after an Indonesian
soccer match in an at- Ferli Hidayat, local police
tempt to stop violence chief of Malang, said there
triggered a disastrous were some 42,000 spectators
crush of fans making a at the game Saturday, all of
panicked, chaotic run for whom were Arema support-
the exits, leaving at least ers because the organizer had
125 people dead, most of banned Persebaya fans from
them trampled upon or entering the stadium in an
suffocated. effort to avoid brawls.

Attention immediately fo- The restriction was imposed
cused on police crowd-con- after clashes between sup-
trol measures at Saturday porters of the two rival teams
night’s match between host in East Java’s Blitar stadium
Arema FC of East Java’s in February 2020 caused 250
Malang city and Persebaya million rupiah ($18,000) in
Surabaya. Witnesses de- why, after 23 years of unde- beating the fans with sticks East Java police chief Nico damage. Brawls were re-
scribed officers beating them feated home matches against and shields, and they fought Afinta defended the use of ported outside the stadium
with sticks and shields before Persebaya, this one ended in back. tear gas. during and after the semifi-
shooting tear gas canisters di- a defeat. nals of the East Java Gover-
rectly into the crowds. “Officers fired tear gas direct- “We have already done a pre- nor’s Cup, which ended with
At least five police vehicles ly at spectators in the stands, ventive action before finally Persebaya beating Arema 4-2.
It was among the deadliest were toppled and set ablaze forcing us to run toward the firing the tear gas as (fans)
disasters ever at a sporting outside the stadium. Riot po- exit,” he said. “Many victims began to attack the police, He said tear gas should only
event. President Joko Wido- lice responded by firing tear fell because of shortness of acting anarchically and burn- be used to disperse crowds
do ordered an investigation gas, including toward the sta- breath and difficulty see- ing vehicles,” he told a news when widespread violence
of security procedures, and dium’s stands, causing panic ing due to tear gas and were conference early Sunday. has occurred and when other
the president of FIFA called among the crowd. trampled.” methods have failed. People
the deaths “a dark day for Indonesia’s soccer associa- must be warned that tear
all involved in football and a “The stadium turned into a He said he climbed the roof tion, known as PSSI, sus- gas will be used and allowed
tragedy beyond comprehen- smoke-filled battleground of the stands and only came pended the premier soccer to disperse. “No one should
sion.” While FIFA has no when police fired tear gas,” down when the situation league Liga 1 indefinitely lose their lives at a football
control over domestic games, said Rizky, who goes by one calmed. in light of the tragedy and match,” Hamid said.
it has advised against the use name. He came with his banned Arema from hosting
of tear gas at soccer stadiums. cousin to watch the game. Others suffocated and were soccer matches for the re-
trampled as hundreds of peo-
Brawls are common among “I felt hot and stinging in my ple ran to the exit to avoid the
rival Indonesian soccer fans, eyes, I couldn’t see clearly tear gas. In the chaos, 34 died
so much so that the organizer while my head was dizzy at the stadium, including two
had banned Persebaya sup- and everything went dark ... officers, and some reports
porters from Arema’s stadi- I passed out,” he said. When include children among the
um. But violence still broke he woke up, he was already casualties.
out when the home team lost in the emergency room. He
3-2 and some of the 42,000 said his cousin died because National Police chief Listyo
Arema fans, known as “Are- of head injuries. Sigit Prabowo said the death
mania,” threw bottles and toll had been revised to 125
other objects at players and “We wanted to entertain our- from 174, after authorities
soccer officials. selves by watching a football found some of the victims
match, but we got disaster,” were counted twice. More
Witnesses said the fans flood- he said. than 100 were receiving in-
ed the Kanjuruhan Stadium tensive treatment in eight
pitch and demanded that Another spectator, Ahmad hospitals, 11 of them in criti-
Arema management explain Fatoni, said police had started cal condition.

Debutant Amos Kipruto of Kenya wins London Marathon

(AP) — Debutant Amos trip on a speed bump with Kipruto pulled away from the
Kipruto won the men’s six miles remaining, but re- rest of the field as it reached
race at the London Mar- covered to rejoin the lead- the final five kilometers.
athon on Sunday, with ing pack and came home in
Yalemzerf Yehualaw tri- 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 25 The race will return to its tra-
umphing in the women’s. seconds, the third fastest time ditional April date next year.
at the event.
Kipruto, a world bronze Marcel Hug and Catherine
medallist in Doha in 2019, Defending champion Joy- Debrunner won the wheel-
finished in a time of 2 hours, ciline Jepkosgei of Kenya had chair titles – setting new
4 minutes, and 39 seconds. to settle for second. course records.
The 30-year-old Kenyan beat
Leul Gebresilase of Ethio- This year’s race is taking place Defending champion Hug
pia into second with Belgian in October for the third and won in 1 hour, 24 minutes,
Bashir Abdi finishing third. final time, after it was moved and 38 seconds.
in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Yehualaw recovered from a debut over the distance. She Marathon champion. Debrunner won the race for
fall to win the women’s race. Yehualaw’s victory came just is the youngest ever London the first time in 1 hour, 38
The 23-year-old appeared to six months after making her minutes, and 24 seconds.