Indonesian Football Riot: Players Fight, Chase Referee Around Field

Panorama of Indonesian players chasing and beating the referee, two teams punching each other.

The mass brawl occurred during a Liga 2 (Indonesia’s second division) match on the evening of January 11. Deltras and Persibo Bojonegoro played at Gelora Delta Stadium in Sidoarjo Province. The winner of the match will advance to the next round.

The incident was sparked by the equalizer by the visiting team Persibo in the last minute of stoppage time. After a foul by a Deltras player, their opponents took a quick free kick and scored. The referee awarded the goal.

The home team protested strongly that Persibo should not have taken a quick free kick in this situation. On the other hand, the away team player was offside before scoring. Slow motion confirmed this. However, the referee did not change his decision.

Riots broke out in Indonesia.

Spectators threw bottles onto the field. Delta players surrounded the referee and assistant referee. Some members of the home team lost their temper and attempted to assault him. The referee was chased and beaten, and had to run to the security area for protection.

The incident did not end there. A member of the Deltras coaching staff suddenly rushed out and punched a Persibo player in the face. Players from both teams started fighting. Surprisingly, there was no security intervention. Fortunately, there were no signs of fanatics rioting in the stands.

The chaos only ended when Persibo players and the referee ran into the locker room. The match remained "suspended" as the referee had not blown the whistle to end the second half. The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has not made any move after this incident.

Xiao Ming

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bao-loan-bong-da-indonesia-cau-thu-danh-nhau-duoi-trong-tai-chay-quanh-san-ar919712.html