Two football officials in Indonesia imprisoned for catastrophes at stadium

• Two football officials in Indonesia imprisoned for catastrophes at a stadium.
• In a stampede that left many people trampled and choked to death.
• Suko Sutrisno was eventually found guilty of carelessness and given 1-year prison term.

SURABAYA: Two football match officials were imprisoned by an Indonesian court on Thursday for their incompetence in one of the biggest stadium catastrophes in the history of the sport.

135 people were killed in the crash in October at a venue in Malang, East Java when police shot tear gas into crowded stands as fans swarmed the ground.

In a stampede that left many people trampled and choked to death, including more than 40 children, hundreds of people fled for confined exits.

The head of the match’s organising committee Abdul Haris was found guilty of negligence and given an 18-month prison sentence. Six years and eight months was the sentence that the prosecution had requested.

The Surabaya court’s presiding judge, Abu Achmad Sidqi Amsya, stated “The defendant did not read the situation and played down the possibility of an emergency situation or chaos.”

The decision is the tragedy’s first verdict in Indonesia. Suko Sutrisno, a security guard, was eventually found guilty of carelessness and given a one-year prison term.

In his case, the prosecution had similarly asked for six years and eight months. Sutrisno “could not foresee the turmoil because there had never been an emergency situation,” the judge claimed.

The judge said, “He also did not comprehend his role as a security official well.

The penalty, according to Cholifatul Noor, a mother who lost her 15-year-old son in the tragedy, was overly lenient and cruel to the victims’ families.

She broke down in tears when she said, “I am not satisfied with the verdict because this concerned many lives, not just the life of one or two people.”

A lawyer for a second family with two lost children stated that the prosecution must appeal.

Imam Hidayat said, “If they don´t it will prove that justice is out of reach for the families.”

Sutrisno’s attorney denied that his client failed to perform his duties correctly and asserted that he is a subject-matter expert who has been in the industry since 2008.

The security guard has previously claimed that at the time of the crush, he lacked the authority to open the stadium’s doors.

Each man has seven days to file an appeal while wearing white shirts in court.

Two cops were killed during the October 1 pitch invasion, according to authorities, who also classified it as a riot. Nevertheless, survivors charged that the police used excessive force.

Before randomly throwing tear gas into the crowd, officers were observed punching and kicking spectators on the field.

FIFA, the organization that oversees football worldwide, forbids the deployment of these riot control techniques inside stadiums.

In connection with the event, three local police officers have also been charged and are awaiting results.

The former director of the organization in charge of running Indonesia’s premier league has been identified as a suspect and is still being looked into by authorities.

Given that the local game has been plagued for years by inadequate infrastructure, poor management, and violence, the tragedy has compelled Indonesian officials to address flaws in a number of areas.

After the disaster, the East Java province and Malang city local leaders of the Indonesian National Police were fired.

But, league games resumed last month. Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation and promised to destroy and rebuild the Kanjuruhan Stadium in accordance with FIFA regulations. The government also banned all competitive football matches.

The chairman of Indonesia’s football association and every member of its executive committee have been asked to resign by a task team looking into the crush, but they have all declined.

Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya, two bitter rivals from East Java, faced off in the game, which Arema lost 3-2.

Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, referred to the crush as “one of the saddest days for football” in October.

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