A Field of Nightmares

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An Indonesian court convicted a soccer club organizer and its security chief of negligence Thursday over the death of 135 people inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java last year, an incident labeled as one of the world’s worst sporting disasters, the Australian Associated Press reported.

The case relates to a stampede at the stadium in October, which occurred when police fired tear gas inside the stadium to prevent spectators from taking to the field after the game. That set off panic among the soccer fans, prompting many to run for the stadium’s exits, resulting in a massive crush.

The court found Abdul Haris, the Arema Football Club Organising Committee chair, and the club’s security chief, Suko Sutrisno, guilty of criminal negligence following a trial that lasted nearly two months.

The panel of three judges said the defendants had not properly assessed the safety of the stadium since 2020 and “did not prepare an emergency plan.”

Haris was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Sutrisno to 12 months, both significantly less than the more than six years sought by prosecutors.

The defendants and the prosecutors are considering appealing the sentences.

Meanwhile, the same court is also trying three police officials who allowed or ordered officers to fire tear gas at the crowds. Prosecutors have demanded three-year prison sentences in these cases.