Tear gas halts Persija-Persib soccer match

JAKARTA (JP): The match on Sunday between Persija Jakarta and Persib Bandung was halted two minutes before the final whistle after security personnel fired tear gas into the stands at Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta.

Persija was leading the western division match of the Bank Mandiri league 3-0 when security personnel fired tear gas after "The Jakmania" supporters in the eastern wing of the stadium threw firecrackers onto the field.

Referee Setyono had to halt the match for 15 minutes because of the incident. The tear gas affected some of the players on the field.

A number of Persib players, including Luis Simoes, Aceng Juanda and Nana, fell to the field covering their noses and eyes. Some Persija players ran off the field to avoid the gas.

Persija patron Sutiyoso, who is also the governor of Jakarta, condemned the actions of the security personnel, saying they overreacted.

"The officers were aiming at the spectators but they didn't think of the impact on the players. They should have warned the visitors instead of firing tear gas," he said as quoted by Antara.

"The security officers acted too quickly, which sparked the spectators' anger. They could have warned them verbally," Persija captain Budiman was quoted as saying by Satusports.com.

Separately, the chief of the Central Jakarta Police operations center, Adj. Comr. Waterpauw, said the police had to take action against the Persija supporters because a number of them had earlier thrown objects at buses carrying Persib supporters.

"We were worried the local supporters would become violent in the stadium and attack the Persib fans. Therefore, we fired tear gas to control them," he said as quoted by Antara.

The first half of the game was a dull affair, with neither team able to capitalize on scoring chances.

Persija opened the scoring in the 61st minute when Budi Sudarsono went around Persib defender Dadang Hidayat and scored past goalkeeper Cecep Supriatna.

Four minutes later, Budiman widened the gap to 2-0 with a long goal from the right side. Ebanda Timothy scored in the 83rd minute to seal the host's victory.

When the match resumed, the final few minutes passed without incident on or off the field.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, host PSM drew 1-1 with Pelita Surakarta, Central Java, in their eastern division match at Mattoangin stadium. Carlos de Mello gave the host a 1-0 lead, but Pelita equalized in the 24th minute on a goal from Eko Purjianto.

The result was a positive one for Pelita, which is trying to avoid relegation. (27/yan)