Indonesia Suffers from Soccer Crisis

Persistent fatal violence among soccer fans has plunged Indonesia into a soccer crisis. The Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) has decided to temporarily cease the Go-Jek Liga 1 championships following the death of a soccer fan recently.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Relatives and neighbors pray on Monday (24/9/2018) over the grave of Sirla Haringga, 23, in Kebulen village of Jatibarang district, Indramayu regency, West Java. Sirla, a supporter of the Persija Jakarta football team, was killed when supporters of the rival team, Persib, assaulted him before the Persija-Persib match on Sunday (23/9) in the Go-Jek Liga 1 competition at Bandung Lautan Api Stadium in Bandung.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The death of Haringga Sirla, a 23-year-old fan of Jakarta’s Persija soccer club, on Sunday (23/9/2018), should serve as a wake-up call for improvements to Indonesian soccer. Many support the decision to temporary cease Liga 1, Indonesia’s premier soccer league, to give ample time for all stakeholder to find the best solution to end the persistent problem of fan violence.

Chair Haedar Nashir of Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, said fan violence in Indonesian soccer had reached an alarming level. Supporters often act violently, sometimes ending with lost lives, seemingly without any regret.