Riot stops soccer league match
JAKARTA (JP): Angry fans stopped the match between home team Persijap of Jepara, Central Java, and Persebaya of Surabaya in the eastern division of the 2001 Bank Mandiri soccer league on Sunday.
The riot began after the visitors took a 3-0 lead on Ronald Pieters' strike in the 83rd minute at Kamal Junaedi Stadium, as reported by Antara news agency.
Ronald opened the scoring for Persebaya with a goal in the 26th minute. Uston Nawawi scored the second goal for the visitors in the 44th minute.
Following Persebaya's third goal, fans ran onto the field and began burning advertising signs. Other fans destroyed ticket booths.
Thousands of spectators demanded Persijap manager Bambang Sanubari and coach Yudi Suryata resign.
The riot led to the game being stopped and declared a 3-0 victory for Persebaya.
The match was also delayed in the 11th minute, when spectators spilled onto the field disrupting play.
Meanwhile, three other eastern division games ended in victories for the host teams.
In Sidoarjo, East Java, home team Gelora Putra Delta (GPD) scored its first victory of the season, defeating Persipura of Jayapura, Irian Jaya, 1-0 at Gelora Delta Stadium.
Chilean striker Fernando Guarjardo scored the lone goal of the match in the 22nd minute, taking advantage of an error in Persipura's defense line.
With the victory, GPD, also known as the Delta Force, moved to 13th place with seven points from 11 matches. It now has one win to go with six losses and four ties. The loss sent Persipura to the bottom of the table.
GPD's aggressive attack was driven by the Chilean duo of Guarjardo and Christian Munizaga. Persipura played a tactical game, relying on power and speed in their counterattacks.
Both team engaged in an exchange of attacks for the first 20 minutes before Guajardo scored his goal.
In Gresik, East Java, host team Petrokimia Gresik (Petrogres) defeated Pelita of Surakarta, Central Java, 2-1 at Petrogres Stadium.
Safi Kirono scored the host's first goal in the 70th minute on a penalty shot, and Gatot Indra netted the second goal in the 74th minute.
Pelita managed to pull one back in the 81st minute on a strike by Aples Tecuari.
More than 10,000 spectators watched the match.
In Bontang, East Kalimantan, host team Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT) defeated Putra Samarinda of Samarinda 3-0 at Mulawarman Stadium.
Khaifar opened the scoring in the eighth minute, and Ilham Hasan scored twice, finding the back of the net in the 36th and 89th minutes. (nvn)