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)