SURABAYA: An Indo­nesian court handed prison sentences to two football match officials on Thurs­day after finding them guilty of negligence over one of the world’s deadliest stadium stampedes.

The October 2022 derby match in Malang, East Java, between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended in chaos with 135 spectators killed, many crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd.

One match official, Abdul Haris, was found guilty “due to his negligence causing people to die and get severely injured”, judge Abu Achmad Shiddqi Hamsya said at the court in Surabaya. He was sentenced to a year and a half in prison.

The judges also found security officer Suko Sutri­sno guilty of negligence and jailed him for one year.

Both men have been banned from football-rela­ted activities for life by the country’s football federation.

An investigation by Indonesia’s human rights commission found the main cause of the stampede was police firing into the crowd 45 rounds of tear gas, which football’s world governing body FIFA has banned as a crowd control measure.

Investigators also said the stadium was filled beyond capacity.

Both match officials’ representatives said they would study the ruling before attempting the next legal steps.

Three police officers are also charged with the same offences and their cases will be decided at a later date.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2023