Hooliganism at soccer matches
Hooliganism at soccer matches
From Sinar Pagi
The Liga Indonesia soccer competition has just started, but
its impact is already being felt. In certain towns hooliganism
has occurred. It is a bad sign for the development of Indonesian
soccer and the safety of the community.
Apart from formless play, bad refereeing has often triggered
turmoil which leads to spectator brutality. A match on Nov. 20 at
the Jatidiri stadium in Semarang saw riots resulting in spectator
brutality because the public was dissatisfied with the referee in
the match between the Semarang team (PSIS) and the Bandung team
(PERSIB) which ended in a goalless draw.
The home supporters, disappointed because their team could not
win, did not hesitate to throw objects onto the field. At every
corner of the stadium people were seen burning stacks of paper.
On one platform spectators were throwing objects at security
officers who wanted to ward off brutal actions.
Referee Mugito from Gresik refereed badly, which led to rough
and monotonous play. The referee was often doubtful and was duly
protested to by both teams. Some Bandung players even surrounded
him menacingly when he awarded a penalty kick to PSIS in the 87th
minute. However, the penalty was badly taken by Semarang player
Hadi Surento. This angered the home crowd.
After the match PSIS supporters burned down a security booth.
Houses along Jl. Gunung Semeru were pelted with stones and flower
pots on the road were knocked over. Hundreds of security guards
were on duty in the streets around the stadium that night.
If conditions like these are tolerated, soccer matches will be
made tools to vent emotions. The soccer association (PSSI),
especially its referee committee, should be able to assign
quality referees, without a volatile temperament, and most
importantly without bias. Players should show restraint in their
emotions. If they cannot do this, our soccer world will never
improve.
While the present condition is still open for improvement, the
momentum of this competition could be used as a starting point
for efforts towards better conditions.
DEDDY TRIYONO
Semarang, Central Java