The question that needs to be answered is why the police used tear gas when FIFA had already banned it inside football stadia years ago.

The pitch invasion is what started the fracas but most of the dead were from the crush and stampede at exit 10. Looking at it from that point of view, the design of the stadium and the overcrowding were two factors which contributed to the bloated number of dead. Hooliganism was already expected (hence, the polisi in riot gear).


A friend of mine who is from East Java told me the number of dead could well have been over 200, just because there was so much chaos in the stadium and that burial rites had to be arranged as soon as possible as per Islamic custom.