By Victor Kanayo
The Indonesian Football Association has banned two Arema Football Club officials for life following a deadly stampede at its stadium last week.
About 174 people were feared dead after the match between Arema FC and their bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya turned deadly at the Kanjuruhan stadium.
The rival fans had been banned from the game, considering the possibility of violence inside the stadium.
However, following their team’s 3-2 defeat, hundreds of Arema supporters stormed onto the pitch to express their anger.
Springing into action, the Indonesia football association on Tuesday announced the chairman of Arema FC’s organising committee Abdul Haris, and a security officer has been banned for life.
Erwin Tobing, chairman of the Indonesian FA’s disciplinary committee, said that the duo “must not carry out any activities in the football environment for life.”
The club has also been fined 250 million rupiahs ($16,000) over one of the worst football tragedies in recent times.
Thirty-five children lost their lives in the deadly stampede which rocked the entire football world on Saturday.
The Indonesian government has since formed an independent panel to probe the matter.
Nine police officers have been suspended by the national police chief of Indonesia following the tragedy.
Ferli Hidayat, the chief of police in Malang, where the stampede happened, has also been sacked on the instructions of the national football chief.
