Fan riots persist; Disciplinary Committee sanctions deemed ineffective

The spate of supporter riots has again surfaced in Indonesian football as the Super League and Championship—the top and second-tier leagues in the country—near the end of the season. The disruption followed Persipura Jayapura’s 0-1 defeat to Adhyaksa FC at Lukas Enembe Stadium, which left the Mutiara Hitam unable to secure promotion. As a consequence, Persipura were fined a total of Rp240 million and banned from hosting home matches with spectators for a full season in 2026-2027. The sanction increases Persipura’s operational burden due to the loss of revenue from ticket sales and home support. Before the Lukas Enembe controversy was resolved, another incident occurred in the match between PSM Makassar and Persib Bandung, when several supporters entered the pitch, heating the match atmosphere. The spate of supporter violence in Indonesian football raises questions about the effectiveness of sanctions from the PSSI Disciplinary Committee (Komdis). Fines of hundreds of millions of rupiah, bans on playing in front of spectators, and a full-season ban have apparently failed to halt actions that harm the clubs themselves. Persija Jakarta’s match organiser chief, Ferry Indrasjarief, said that firm sanctions are necessary to prevent similar incidents from spreading to other matches. “But if it continues to recur, then something is still lacking,” he added. He argued that the regulations to date focus too much on the interests of the competition and sponsors, while supporters’ aspirations are often ignored, leading to much supporter dissatisfaction. Examples include away supporter bans and restrictions on tribune creativity such as flares, which he says need clearer rules. “If flares are prohibited for the 2x45 minutes, the rules must be clear. For example, should it be allowed after the match finishes, or how,” said the man known as Bung Ferry.