Indonesia stadium stampede: What do FIFA rules state about use of tear gas to control crowds?

Indonesia witnessed one of the worst football disasters in recent times as a stampede at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java left 125 people dead and hundreds injured. A tragedy unfolded at the stadium after the Indonesian police decided to use tear gas to bring the crowd in control following fans' invasion of the pitch.

Persebaya Surabaya defeated bitter rivals Arema FC 3-2 in a high-voltage derby on Saturday before hundreds of Arema fans stormed onto the pitch resulting in chaos. The angry fans reportedly clashed with the police officers on the ground, prompting the security officials to fire tear gas shots at the crowd on the ground and in the stands.

The usage of tear gas triggered a massive stampede in the stadium as fans panicked and tried to escape through the exit gates. There was a huge accumulation of fans at the exit gates as many got trampled to death while others succumbed due to suffocation.

Several videos surfaced on social media showing fans panicking in the stadium and trying to get out. In shocking footage in the aftermath of the deadly stampede, the bodies of scores of fans were seen lying on the ground while some injured were seen getting escorted out.

What do FIFA rules state about the use of tear gas to control crowds at stadiums?

FIFA clearly mentions in its security guidelines that the stewards or police officers deployed at the stadium to ensure public order are not allowed to use firearms or 'crowd control gas'.

While the use of tear gas was a clear violation of FIFA guidelines and resulted in deadly consequences in Indonesia on Saturday, there was another rule violation during the stampede at theKanjuruhan Stadium in Malang.

As per FIFA guidelines, the stewards and security officers present inside the stadium need to always ensure that the exit gates, emergency exits and other routes remain unobstructed at all times. However, that was not the case during the stampede at theKanjuruhan Stadium.

32 children dead in tragic incident

As per an Indonesian official, at least 32 children lost their lives during the stampede on Saturday. While ten died inside the stadium, seven breathed their last in a hospital while undergoing treatment. The Indonesian government has formed an independent panel to probe the incident and the death of 125 football fans. As per AFP, nine police officers have also been suspended following the tragedy.