During an Indonesian soccer match, 125 people died due to being trampled or suffocated. Police on the scene tried to break up a fight between aggressive fans, but it resulted in tear gas being thrown into the crowd. Groups of people frantically ran towards exits trying to avoid the gas. Witnesses of the event also stated that they saw officers beating the fans with sticks and shields before tear gas was thrown.

Fights are common between Indonesian soccer fans, especially during games. Brawls break out so often that the organizer for the soccer games banned Persebaya fans from Arema’s stadium. Rivalries between these fan bases can become aggressive, and the losing team’s fans would throw bottles at the soccer players as well as officials.