• More than 130 people died during a crowd crush.
• Judged sentenced head of the Organizational Committee for soccer club Arema FC.
• Harris was determined to be guilty of selling too many tickets.

A senior soccer official was found guilty of negligence by an Indonesian court on Thursday for his role in the deaths of more than 130 people during a crowd crush at a match in the country’s East Java province last year, one of the biggest disasters in the sport’s history.

A judge sentenced Abdul Haris, Head of the Organizational Committee for soccer club Arema FC, to a year and a half in prison, making him the first person imprisoned in connection with the disaster.

Harris was determined to be guilty of selling too many tickets, surpassing the stadium’s maximum capacity.

After Arema FC supporters stormed onto the pitch following their defeat to rival Persebaya Surabaya in a match on October 1, police sprayed tear gas, causing a crowd crush as many ran towards the exits.

With 135 people killed, it was one of the world’s deadliest stadium stampedes.

An inquiry last year revealed that tear gas, a crowd control measure prohibited by FIFA, was the primary cause of death.

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