– As president of Arema FC, I will take full responsibility for the incident that occurred. I deeply apologize to the victims, their families, all Indonesians and La Liga 1,” he said, according to AFP.
The deadly riots are described as one of the world’s worst stadium disasters. Several children are said to be among the dead.
The clash took place at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang City when home fans stormed the pitch after the match between Arema and Persebaya Surabaya which ended 2-3.
Riot police fired tear gas to quell the riots.
Hundreds of people ran to an exit door to try to escape the tear gas. Several suffocated in the chaos, and others were trampled on.
More than 300 people were taken to hospital, but many died en route or after admission. On Saturday morning, local authorities said more than 100 people had been injured, and eleven of them were in critical condition.
Action request
The use of tear gas raised questions about whether security personnel had followed proper procedures when dealing with a crowd inside a stadium.
– We call on the police to find the perpetrators who committed crimes in the coming days, Indonesian Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud said in a statement.
– We ask them to reveal who committed the crimes and take action against them, and we also hope that the police will assess their security procedures, he continued.
He announced that a task force has been set up to investigate.
– Who is to blame?
Police described the incident as a riot and said two officers were killed, but survivors accuse them of overreacting and causing the death of numerous bystanders, including a five-year-old boy.
– One of our messages is that the authorities should fully investigate this case. And we want someone to take responsibility. Who is to blame? said Andika, 25, who declined to give her last name.
Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said investigators were analyzing CCTV footage around the stadium to identify “the suspects who carried out the destruction”.
They also plan to interview those responsible for the event on Monday, as well as 18 police officers responsible for “carrying or using weapons”, he said during a televised press conference.
