When I watched the videos of Kanjuruhan pandemonium circulating, I concluded that the tragedy should never have occurred. Even if Arema lost 2-3 to Persebaya. There was no fan war – because there were practically no Persebaya supporters. Boneks were simply heartbroken by their home team Persebaya which had been losing consecutively, including against the celebrity-owned Rans United FC team of Rafi Achmad.
That evening, the referee did nothing to arouse bitter disappointment. In fact, I can state that many improvements have been made in Indonesian refereeing: at least more smiles can be seen. In the past, a referee’s actions often provoked supporters’ disgruntlement. Erroneous whistles do still occur, even though much fewer in number. Having goalline assistant referees is also a commendable improvement.
So, the refereeing was not a factor in the Kanjuruhan tragedy.
Nor was Arema FC’s game a disappointment. Indeed, it fell behind by 0-2 at the beginning of the first half, but soon caught up to 2-2 before halftime. It even dominated the attack throughout the second half.
Turning around the score from 0-2 to 2-2 raised high hopes for a win – not to mention the overpowering attacks. It was safe to say that Arema had closed in on Persebaya. I watched the match live at home. Arema players nearly scored twice. Too bad the ball only hit the goalpost.
Dominating the attack, closing in and hitting the goalpost were really frustrating – why couldn’t they score? Arema was achingly expected to win, because they had just suffered a home defeat against Bandung’s Persib. How could they lose again? Against Persebaya, for crying out loud.
The frustration peaked towards the end of the game. Objects started to fly, thrown by the spectators, including missiles aimed at Arema.
The Persebaya team acted quite humbly and discreetly: they did not conduct any celebration on the field, despite their having won. The players headed straight to the corridor towards the changing room. They did not even stop and shake hands with the coaches. The bench players and Persebaya officials also moved directly to the changing room.
Up to this point, no riots had started. There were only shouts and objects thrown in frustration. But the situation was getting more tense. Persebaya’s plan to celebrate their win in the changing room was canceled. The players were only allowed five minutes to change at which point they would leave hurriedly leave in police tactical vehicles. They had to be guarded so that they could leave the stadium unharmed. Four tactical vehicle units had been parked in front of the stadium – enough to accommodate all team members. All of them were safe inside the vehicles.
Meanwhile, Arema FC players and officials had gathered on the field, as they were prepared for a traditional gesture following the match: they would gather in a circle in the middle of the field and bow to the spectators.
However, the situation was not at all normal. The 40,000 spectators lingered; few left to return home. As the clock struck 10 P.M., the mob of spectators showed no sign of leaving the stadium. They were still shouting, screaming and throwing objects.