A soccer stadium in the east of Java, Indonesia.

In January 2023, a memorial service was held in the space outside the stadium's main gate.

This is where one of the worst disasters in the history of global soccer took place.

135 people died, many of them women and children.

Soccer fever has taken over Indonesia, with the government boasting that 70% of the population are fans.

But the fanaticism of supporters often leads to violence,

with some even calling the country's national league the world's most dangerous.

The tragedy took place in October 2022, shortly before the Qatar World Cup.

As the game ended, supporters of the losing team stormed the pitch.

Security officials fired large amounts of tear gas in an attempt to contain them.

This caused a stadium-wide panic as crowds rushed to the exits.

The resulting crush was fatal.

A government investigation quickly determined that the main cause of the tragedy

was overzealous action by security forces.

But it remains unclear who bears responsibility for the events, and families of the victims are furious.

I will not be satisfied.

Not until I know who killed my son
and so many others.

I want to keep fighting.

Until we uncover the truth.

It's the least I can do for my boy.

Meanwhile, a new movement is motivating fans to transform local soccer culture.

Be cool, okay?

Keep it safe.

These dedicated supporters are hoping to help a new, safer sporting culture take hold.

A tragic incident that took the lives of many soccer fans.

As the bereaved seek answers, efforts are being made to reduce the violence associated with the league.

The outskirts of Malang, in the east of Java.

It's home to Kanjuruhan stadium, which seats around 40,000 spectators.

This is the gate to the stands where so many were killed.

Photographs and mementos are displayed here as a memorial.

A network of bereaved families hold prayers at the site.

They meet regularly to share their grief and anger, and support those in the same position.

There were shoe prints on
my dead daughter's face.

Footprints on her chest.

On her face...

I know that even remembering is painful.

Everyone here faced the same tragedy.
We all share the same emotions.

Let us all stay strong.

They fired tear gas into the stands.

Why not use regular water?
There was no need for gas!

One of the group's leaders is Vincensius Sari.

He lost his oldest son, who was just 15.

He won this trophy for
being the top scorer.

That was in 2021.

His son Revano was the captain of his local soccer team.

Physically gifted, he played defense, but was also a talented goal scorer.

He received offers from many strong local teams, and had a bright future ahead of him.

His friends took his other
possessions as mementos.

But they left his captain's armband.

They said he was their only captain.

He asked me to buy these cleats
for his next competition.

They arrived nine days after he died.
He never got the chance to wear them.

The day of the accident, Sari stayed up until midnight, waiting for his son.

When he didn't return home, he headed to the stadium.

He visited several nearby hospitals where victims had been taken, searching for his son.

One of my younger sons called, asking,
"Did you find him, Dad? Where is he?"

I couldn't speak.

I just switched to the camera
to show him the body.

Finding out our son had died...

...was the worst moment
my family and I have ever faced.

Sari's wife and Revano's mother, Priscillia.

The tragedy has affected her greatly, and she's found it difficult to be social.

Revano often looked after his two younger brothers.

You're the oldest now.

Do you think you're ready
to look after your brother?

No.

The stadium became the site of one of soccer's worst tragedies on October 1st, 2022.

It was a Saturday night.

Arema FC, a strong local team, faced their bitter rivals on home turf.

It was their first home loss to their rivals in 23 years - something which only added to the crowd's frustration.

But chaos didn't break out immediately after the end of the match.

It's thought that these were the first supporters to enter the pitch.

They evade security to approach the players, hugging them.

Suci Rahayu is a local sports reporter who was at the stadium.

She has reported on hundreds of Arema matches.

At first, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

It's normal for fans to approach
players after a game.

It's a bit of a tradition.

They weren't necessarily mad about the loss.

They just wanted to show their support.

It was a relaxed atmosphere.
Nobody expected what happened.

Suci left the pitch to attend the team's postgame press conference, as usual.

A cameraman stayed behind, continuing to film.

Muhammad Firman works for a local newspaper.

He captured the deployment of the military and police.

I thought the growing crowd
was getting a bit much.

People started throwing things from the stands.

As the stream of supporters on the pitch overwhelmed stadium security, soldiers and the police stepped in.

Scuffles broke out, and tear gas canisters were fired in an attempt to suppress the mayhem.

Many fans were beaten with batons, and kicked.

The chaos escalated.

I decided to leave the pitch.

My face was hot, my eyes burned,
and I couldn't breathe.

Arema FC supporter Ibrohim Riqi Herdianto was in the stands.

He says the spectators panicked as soon as the tear gas canisters were fired.

They fired over and over into the stands.

In every direction.

Children, mothers, women
all crying and screaming.

"Help! Help us!"

Gunshots rang out.
It was like a warzone.

Supporters rushed for the exits, causing a stampede.

Many were crushed underfoot and killed.

The location which saw the most deaths was Gate 13.

This area of the stands is normally used for families and women.

Witnesses say that the door was locked.

Suci learned of the situation while in the press room.

She was shocked to see people suffering after inhaling tear gas, and injured supporters being pulled out from the crush.

There were more and more victims,
people who couldn't breathe.

I heard crying and screaming
that people were dead.

135 people were killed, two of them police officers, making it the second deadliest incident at a soccer venue.

With the World Cup just six weeks away, it was a shocking tragedy for soccer fans everywhere.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the site himself four days after the incident.

An investigative team was tasked to uncover what caused the tragedy.

One member of the team is Akmal Marhali.

He began interviewing local security staff and victims.

I don't think this event was caused
by fanatical soccer supporters.

The police fired 88 tear gas canisters.

If they hadn't, nobody would have died.

It says "Use before Dec 2019."

The police say that makes
no difference to what happened.

Foreign experts say it might have
made the gas more toxic.

FIFA guidelines forbid the possession and use of firearms and tear gas in soccer stadiums.

But this rule hasn't been followed in Indonesia for many years.

Local police should have
known about FIFA's rules.

They should have been trained.

The report by the government's investigative team found that the primary cause of the deaths

was the tear gas fired by police.

But five months later, a criminal trial against police and security authorities for negligence resulting in death

ended in a shocking verdict.

It was stated that the gas had been fired towards the center of the pitch,

and hadn't affected the spectators.

Two of the three police on trial were found not guilty.

The bereaved families seeking the truth were not the only ones furious at this outcome.

Many regular civilians were outraged, and banners of protest appeared all around Malang.

"Killer tear gas - Are you blinded?"

A police box at this crossroads was plastered with posters criticizing their actions.

A traffic officer had been stationed here before the incident.

But as distrust in the police swells, it's now left unmanned out of concerns for officer safety.

"Stop police brutality!"

The outcome of the trial left the bereaved Sari stunned and furious.

I'm disappointed and heartbroken.

How could it come to this verdict
after so many deaths?

We still don't know who will take
responsibility for this tragedy.

All of us mourners will keep
fighting until we have justice.

His son died because of the sport he loved.

Sari wants to fight in his name.

He plans to launch a civil suit with the backing of the victims' support group.

The shock of the tragedy led one supporter to take up the challenge of transforming Indonesian soccer fandom.

Ignatius Indro is the founder of a supporters' community.

He's visiting the stadium where the disaster took place.

It has been closed since the tragedy, and no matches are currently held here.

The grass is so long.

Indro wants to prevent any such incident from happening again.

He feels that the best way to do this is to change the attitudes of supporters.

A single life matters
more than soccer. Always.

We must use this tragedy
to transform soccer culture.

Soccer is hugely popular in Indonesia,

and both international fixtures and the pro soccer league regularly fill stadiums to capacity.

But it's also called the world's most dangerous league, because extreme fans sometimes break out into violence.

Supporters of rival teams often fight, and there are reports of deaths almost every year.

A crowd of high schoolers has gathered outside the gates of a university in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

Indro and the local university are co-hosting a futsal tournament between senior high schools.

Be cool, okay? Keep it safe.

If we start anything, our team
gets disqualified, right?

That's right, keep your cool.

Depends on the other team.

Many of the students here to cheer on their school are also fans of pro soccer clubs.

The goal of this tournament is to teach them to respect other players and supporters,

and to refrain from violence or verbal abuse.

Indro has taken on a number of other initiatives to improve relations between rival supporters, such as joint food stalls.

His efforts have produced small but promising results.

32 teams are taking part in today's tournament.

The students become fired up over the course of the day, and their verbal support becomes heated.

They're all dogs, kill them!

Supporters! Stop the provocation!

Indro stands by the court, calming down the students each time they become too excited.

The tournament progresses to the final.

Contact between two opposing players sparks a fight.

Stand down! Stay calm.
Remember your sportsmanship!

Both teams, sportsmanship!

Fans of both teams storm the court.

The college students running the tournament do what they can to calm the chaos.

Leaders of the supporters appeal to their fellow fans to settle down.

There was no major violence.

Things calmed down in the end.

Sportsmanship is the key.

That's what we need to work on.

At the award ceremony, a "Best Supporter" prize is given to the fan group that behaved the most respectfully.

Malang, the home town of Arema FC.

An entire neighborhood here is painted in the team's color.

Many residents are fans of the club, and lost family or friends in the tragedy.

Indro is planning an event for Arema fans and supporters of the rival team they played on the day of the incident.

He's come to talk to Riqi, who leads Arema's fan club.

The shock of the tragedy has left Riqi reeling, and he is reluctant to watch another soccer match.

Grassroots education of fans
will be very important.

We would really like you to join us.

To support the work that we're doing.

Do you think you could join
our futsal tournament?

I'd like to, but we need more time.

There is still a lot of trauma around soccer.

And the rivalry between the two teams.

There is a risk that something could happen.

But Riqi agrees to consider a futsal tournament with his fellow fans in the near future.

It would be good to help Indro
with fan education.

I hear that he has experience with this.

He's worked with rival teams before.

It's definitely something we'd be interested in.

Even the deepest divisions can be bridged by a shared love of soccer.

It's this belief that keeps Indro going.

Everyone in Indonesia should be able
to watch soccer safely and comfortably.

I hope we can transform soccer
into the kind of entertainment...

...you can bring your whole family to.

Central Jakarta is hosting a match with a popular local team.

In addition to stadium stewards, nearly four thousand police and soldiers have been mobilized for the event.

Supporters are devastated
when their team loses.

They're a threat to us
and other spectators.

We will be vigilant before,
during, and after the match.

Some police officers stationed outside the stadium are armed with tear gas.

After the tragedy, police decided that security inside the stadium should be left in the hands of soccer clubs.

But they also want to be ready to respond to any requests for intervention.

What is there to learn in the wake of such a terrible event?

For the people of Indonesia grappling with this tragedy, there are no easy answers.