Borobudur Law and Society Journal
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026)

Criminal Responsibility of Football Match Organising Committees for Riots: The Kanjuruhan Tragedy

Putra, Fajar Adi Satria (Unknown)
Kurniaty, Yulia (Unknown)
Hakim, Hary Abdul (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Mar 2026

Abstract

A football match organising committee is expected to guarantee the safety of players and spectators, yet the Kanjuruhan tragedy of 1 October 2022 shows how hard it is to attribute criminal responsibility when a riot, a crowd crush and police use of tear gas occur together. This study asks on what provisions, under what elements and within what limits an organising committee can be held criminally responsible for a riot, and how that responsibility differs from that of the league operator, the football association and the police. It is normative legal research using statutory, case and conceptual approaches. The materials are the Criminal Code, Law No 11 of 2022 on Sport, the PSSI Statutes and Safety and Security Regulations, FIFA rules, police regulations, the report of the government fact-finding team and press accounts of the trials. The study finds that responsibility of the committee rests on negligence under Articles 359 and 360 of the Criminal Code and, separately, on Article 103 of Law No 11 of 2022; that the committee’s omissions on ticketing, evacuation and preparation were concurrent causes beside the firing of tear gas; and that the proposed characterisation of the events as a crime against humanity is not supported. Regulation of stadium safety, clear command responsibility and licensing of organisers are needed.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

blastal

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Borobudur Law and Society Journal (BLASTAL) is a Journal of Legal Studies published by Faculty of Law, Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang. This journal publishes six times a year. The scopes of BLASTAL, but not limited to, are: Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Civil Law, Islamic Law, Environmental ...