Soccer finals may be out of Jakarta

Soccer finals may be out of Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The chaotic condition caused by the arrival of
thousands of soccer hooligans from East Java over the last few
days has forced the government to think about the possibility of
moving the venue of the National Soccer League finals from
Jakarta to other cities.

The government did not rule out moving the venue to prevent
hooligans, especially from Surabaya, from causing trouble in the
capital, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas
said yesterday.

Speaking after meeting President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace,
Azwar, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Soccer Association,
said efforts should be taken to crack down on hooligans.

Hundreds of hooligans, locally called bonek who come to
Jakarta without any money, have been rounded up since Thursday
for causing trouble, ranging from extortion to stealing food from
local vendors.

"We'll study the problem thoroughly, including the possibility
of moving the venue out of Jakarta," he said.

Azwar deplored the hooligans' poor behavior because their
actions tarnished the sport's image, and victimized innocent
people.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Aritonang said the situation at
the final game between Bandung Raya and Persebaya Surabaya at
Senayan Stadium yesterday went well and everything was under
control.

The situation around the stadium was relatively calm as
thousands of Bandung Raya supporters left the stadium as soon as
their team was defeated by Persebaya 3-1.

A brawl nearly took place when a Persebaya supporter was
surrounded by a group of Bandung Raya fans outside the stadium.
However, he managed to escape the crowd.

Some other fans also clashed near Senayan Plaza on Jl. Asia
Afrika after the game.

The plaza itself was tightly guarded by dozens of police and
military officers and was still open as usual. Entrance gates to
the nearby Jakarta Hilton Convention Center were closed for a few
minutes after the game was over.

Streets around the stadium were vacant of cars, whose owners
intentionally avoided the area for fear of falling victim to
possible clashes between fans.

Some small trees and traffic signs along Jl. Asia Afrika in
front of Plaza Senayan were torn down by soccer fans.

Soccer fans were seen crowding on Jl. Jend. Sudirman from Jl.
Sisingamangaraja to the Semanggi cloverleaf. Public buses, taxis
and other motorists drove in the fast lane of the street.

At least ten East Java hooligans were officially named by
police as suspects of several robbery and extortion cases and
thousands of other hooligans were sent back to Surabaya by land
and sea transport.

Aritonang said police deported 2,500 soccer fans as of
yesterday.

At least another 11 trucks transported some to Tanjung Priok
seaport before the hooligans boarded ships. Four other trucks
were on standby to transport others.

Speaking about the tear gas incident, which abruptly
interrupted the semifinal match between Bandung Raya and Mitra
Surabaya on Friday, National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo said
yesterday that authorities were still investigating the case.

Dibyo said it was not a security officer who fired the tear
gas canister at Bandung Raya soccer fans.

"We are still looking for the person who threw the canister,
which was stored in a black plastic bag, from the above seat
section," he said.

According to earlier reports, witnesses said a security
officer fired the canister at Bandung Raya supporters after they
tried to enter the field to celebrate a goal 58 minutes into the
second half. (06/jun/cst)