The death toll from a stampede at a professional football match in Indonesia has risen to 174.
Emil Elestianto Dardak, Vice Governor of East Java Province, stated in an interview with the local daily Kompas on the 2nd (local time) that the death toll has increased to 174, and more than 100 people are receiving intensive care at eight local hospitals. He also added that 11 of the injured are in serious condition.
At a match held the previous day at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang Regency, East Java Province, between the football teams 'Arema FC' and 'Persebaya Surabaya,' thousands of spectators stormed the stadium after the game.
Some angry fans rushed onto the field to protest against players and team officials after the home team Arema lost to Persebaya Surabaya at home for the first time in 23 years.
The police fired tear gas while trying to control the invading crowd, and thousands of people scrambled toward the exits to avoid the tear gas, resulting in a massive fatal accident due to the crowd crush.
Meanwhile, the 18 teams in Liga 1, Indonesia's top professional football league, each have fanatic fan clubs known as 'mania.'
The fan club of the home team in this tragic match, 'Arema FC,' is called 'Aremania.'
Among the 'mania,' the fan club 'Jakmania' of 'Persija Jakarta,' based in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, is representative.
Their cheering culture is known to be so rough that it resembles a militia.
When joining the fan club, members must participate in cheering training, where they shout cheers and undergo mental training following the commands of the cheerleader holding a megaphone at the front, which local media say is similar to military combat training.
They often shout the cheer slogan 'sampai mati,' which means 'until death' in Indonesian, signifying their commitment to support and fight for their team until they die.
In fact, inside the stadium, they fire flares during matches and, if their team is at a disadvantage, sometimes throw water bottles or even stones at opposing players.
Due to such aggressiveness, clashes between fan groups of regional rivals often lead to bloody incidents during matches.
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