Sports Minister to Contain Stadium Violence
Jakarta. Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi is planning to regulate Indonesia's fans whoopee culture to have more peace and safety during football games.
Compared by many to their South American counterparts, Indonesian football fans often engage in violence, even during elite competitions.
Since the early 1990s, 54 have perished in post-match battles, says watchdog Save Our Soccer (SOS).
"The number cannot be underestimated and [the deaths cannot be] seen as accidents. It's too expensive to watch football games at the cost of someone's life," SOS coordinator Akmal Marhali said in an interview in November, after a supporter of Persija Jakarta was killed in a football riot in Solo, Central Java.
The Ministry of Sports is currently searching for ways to prevent violent clashes between football fans.
"I urge the media and other stakeholders to educate football supporters to obey the rules. We'll issue some regulations to unite [them]," the minister said during a meeting with the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) on Tuesday (14/02.
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