JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police fired tear gasoline exterior a soccer stadium to disperse followers who had been making an attempt to drive their means right into a match in Central Java province on Friday, months after using tear gasoline in one other stadium precipitated one of many world’s worst sporting disasters.

No accidents had been reported on Friday, when 1000’s of supporters of PSIS Semarang fled tear gasoline on the entrance to Jatidiri Stadium in Semarang metropolis after they tried to enter the closed-door match to help their group in opposition to Persis Solo, a group from Surakarta metropolis.

Organizers and police had determined to carry the match with out spectators to keep away from attainable violence.

Semarang Police Chief Irwan Anwar stated the choice was made due to the expertise from the earlier match between the 2 groups in Surakarta, when PSIS Semarang supporters had been attacked as they returned house.

Followers trying to enter the stadium pushed after which threw objects at cops who tried to carry them again. The officers first used a water cannon after which fired tear gasoline.

“The usage of tear gasoline was carried out in accordance with the procedures for utilizing drive and was exterior the match venue, not contained in the stadium,” stated Semarang Deputy Police Chief Yuswanto Ardi.

Final October, police used tear gasoline to halt followers from dashing onto the pitch in a stadium in East Java’s Malang metropolis, setting off a panicked run for the exits by which 135 folks died.

Prosecutors charged 5 males — three police officers who allowed or ordered officers to make use of tear gasoline, the chair of the organizing committee and the safety chief — with legal negligence inflicting demise and bodily hurt, which carries a penalty of as much as 5 years in jail.

An investigation group arrange by President Joko Widodo in response to a nationwide outcry over the deaths concluded that the tear gasoline was the principle explanation for the gang surge. It stated police on obligation had no information that using tear gasoline is prohibited at soccer stadiums and used it “indiscriminately” on the sphere, within the stands and outdoors the stadium, inflicting greater than 42,000 spectators contained in the 36,000-seat stadium to hurry to the exits — a number of of which had been locked.

It was among the many deadliest soccer-related tragedies since a 1964 crush in Peru killed over 300 folks.

Soccer is the preferred sport in Indonesia and the home league is extensively adopted. Followers are strongly connected to their golf equipment, and the fanaticism usually leads to violence and hooliganism.