The tragedy in Indonesia where a clash between fans of two clubs, Persebaya Surabaya and Arema Malang, led to the death of more than 125 people, including children, is a grim reminder that the world's most popular game has a dark underbelly. Indeed, for a sport rightfully called “the beautiful game”, soccer has witnessed some of the most horrific incidents of violence over the years.
The Heysel Stadium collapse following clashes between fans during the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus leading to the death of 39 supporters, followed a few years later by the Hillsborough tragedy of April 15, 1989, when 96 Liverpool supporters were killed in a crush during their team’s FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest, are now part of the unfortunate folklore of football. The worst such incident took place on May 24, 1964, when Argentina and Peru were playing for a place in the Tokyo Olympic tournament. An incident just before close of play when Argentina were leading by a solitary goal led to a flare up between fans. In the resulting stampede, 320 people lost their lives.
In India, too, August 16, 1980, was one of the blackest days for the sport. During a derby between traditional rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, clashes between fans left 16 people dead. The day of eternal shame for the game in India and its impact on the psyche of those who witnessed the violence is brilliantly chronicled in this piece in the Paper Clip.
The 1970s and 80s were considered the worst decades for the mayhem unleashed largely by fans in Europe though the malaise was visible everywhere. After the Heysel tragedy, English teams were banned from European football for five years and within the country strict measures were put in place to avoid such instances in the future. These did curb the worst of the violence though riots continue to rear their ugly head from time to time in other parts of the world.
As the latest incident in Indonesia shows, tragedy is never too far away when keen rivals meet on a soccer field. What starts with taunts and fisticuffs between a handful of fans can quite easily descend into violence. The deaths mostly occur when fans, many not even involved in the hostilities, attempt to flee. In Malang, the first deaths occurred when spectators rushed to an exit gate to escape tear gas from the police. In the ensuing stampede 34 people who were trampled or suffocated died almost instantly.
Over the years several committees have been appointed to examine what leads to such extreme reactions. Indonesian president Joko Widodo, too, immediately ordered an investigation into the incident and told the country's football association (PSSI) to stop Liga 1 matches until the investigation was concluded. The needle of suspicion seems to be pointing again at high-handed police action which appeared to have worsened the situation rather than controlling it.
That doesn’t excuse the behaviour of some of the spectators. Sure, there is a lot of emotion attached to the game. The game’s core base of working-class people, mostly men, is another reason often cited for the orgies of violence outside stadiums and in the streets. Psychoanalysts have commented on the fact that these football hooligans seemed to revel in the publicity which follows such rioting. With tickets expensive, and getting one for a big game never easy, a loss for a favourite team turns into bitter disappointment which caps the anger and the frustration they feel with their lot, leading to the kind of vitriol that’s poured out on to the opposing team’s fans.
But there are other, more systemic factors. Organizational incompetence coupled with police high-handedness is often mentioned as one possible provocation. Often corrupt officials end up selling more tickets than the stadium’s capacity, leading to pushing and jostling among fans trying to get in. In an already tense situation, this can often act as the spark to light the fire.
Whatever the causes, the game is poorer for each such incident. The violence at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 1980 drove many fans away from the stadiums, perhaps forever. The game’s governing body, FIFA, needs to urgently address the issue before a single more life is lost.
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