When on October 1st 2022 Arema FC fans were entering their home ground, Kanjuruhan Stadium, they never would have imagined how that evening would change their club, their lives and Indonesian football forever. The match was massive: the Super East Java Derby against Persebaya Surabaya is one of the fiercest rivalries in Indonesia. The distance between Arema's city Malang and Surabaya is just a two hour drive, so supremacy over the East Java province and bragging rights are at stake. Indonesia has had extensive problems with football hooliganism in the past: 95 deaths have happened in football-related incidents between 2005 and 2018. For this reason, authorities banned Persebaya fans from travelling to Malang, closing the away end. Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia [dreamstime.com] Concerned because of the buzz around the match, the police tried to move the game from the evening to the afternoon and to reduce the tickets available from 42,000 to 38,000, without success...
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