Indonesian match official jailed over deadly soccer stampede

March 09, 2023 04:41 PM AEDT | By Reuters
Follow us on Google News:

SURABAYA, Indonesia (Reuters) - An Indonesian court sentenced a soccer match official to one and a half years in prison on Thursday after finding him guilty of negligence over one of the world's deadliest stadium stampedes.

The October 2022 derby match in Malang, East Java, between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended in chaos with 135 spectators killed, many crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd.

The match official, Abdul Haris was found guilty "due to his negligence causing people to die," said the judge at the court in Surabaya.

The legal team for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An investigation by Indonesia's human rights commission found the main cause of the stampede was police firing into the crowd 45 rounds of tear gas, which soccer's world governing body FIFA has banned as a crowd control measure.

Another match official is set to hear his verdict later on Thursday, while three police officers are also charged with the same offences and their cases will be decided at a later date.

(Reporting by Prasto Wardoyo in Surabaya and Ananda Teresia and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by Martin Petty)


Disclaimer

The above content is directly sourced from Reuters under a contractual arrangement. The content is being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; and does not constitute an endorsement or approval by Kalkine Media of any of the products, services, or opinions of the organization or individual. The user is apprised that Kalkine Media bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of Reuters, any external sites, or for that of subsequent links. The user is requested to contact Reuters directly for answers to questions regarding the content. Please note that Kalkine Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.



Top ASX Listed Companies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. OK