Indonesia’s football tragedy puts the spotlight on its police force

After a painful 3-2 defeat to their arch-rivals Persebaya Surabaya on home turf in Malang, a city on the Indonesian island of Java, Arema Football Club’s players might have been dreading the customary talking-to from the manager. Instead, the dressing room in their Kanjuruhan Stadium became a place to line up corpses. Players cradled the bodies of dying fans. Out in the corridors, tear gas choked the air.

The pandemonium began just after the final whistle blew on October 1st, when some 3,000 Arema fans ran on to the pitch. Videos show police in riot gear chasing them off the field, beating some with batons. Police then fired round after round of tear gas into the stands, in an apparent attempt to disperse the crowd. That it did, but not without triggering a stampede for the exit. By the time the chaos subsided, at least 131 people had died, including 33 children. It is the worst sporting disaster to occur anywhere in nearly six decades.