Student soccer fans brawl, 31 injured

Student soccer fans brawl, 31 injured

YOGYAKARTA (JP): At least 31 people, including an eight-year-
old boy, were injured and seven motorcycles were set ablaze when
supporters of two local university soccer teams clashed on Monday
evening.

The rampaging crowd also vandalized the Mandala Krida Stadium,
the venue of the match pitting teams from the Indonesian Islamic
University (UII) and Janabadra University.

They burned a section reserved for the press, broke glass
doors leading to the VIP room and destroyed a mini studio
belonging to the state radio station RRI. There were no reports
of any arrests.

Medical officials told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that 26
students were being treated for serious wounds at the state
Sardjito Hospital, Bethesda Christian Hospital and Panti Rapih
Catholic Hospital.

Witnesses said the animosity was noticeable before the
semifinal match of the tournament held by Janabadra University
was about to begin. Students of the two local private
universities started to throw objects at each other, but calmed
down after representatives of the two sides met and agreed to
hold a peaceful game.

But the truce lasted only 90 minutes. Shortly after referee
Hendro Kardiono blew the final whistle, Janabadra University
supporters rushed over to where the opposition supporters were
celebrating after the game was decided 1-0 by a controversial
penalty.

The penalty decision prompted protests from the Janabadra
players, but Hendro stood his ground.

UII players and supporters fled to their three campuses across
the city, with most going to the nearby campus on Jl. Cik Ditiro.

A group of UII students then planned to retaliate, but were
prevented from doing so by the university authorities who
intervened and calmed them down.

On Tuesday evening, tension still gripped the main UII campus
on Jl. Cik Ditiro and the Janabadra University campus on Jl.
Tentara Rakyat Mataram. Dozens of students from each university
were on alert, with some arming themselves with iron bars.

Fearing revenge by UII students, dozens of police blockaded
the Janabadra University compound throughout the day on Tuesday.
But no fresh clashes were reported. (lnt/23/44)