Violence & Brawls ·
The Crush After an Amman Football Derby
At least 150 people were injured after Al-Wehdat’s December 2010 win over Al-Faisaly. Officials and witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the violence and police intervention.
Al-Wehdat had beaten Al-Faisaly 1–0, but the victory was followed by a crush. After the match at King Abdullah Stadium in Amman on December 10, 2010, violence broke out as supporters left. A metal fence separating the stands from the playing field collapsed under the pressure of the crowd. Early injury counts varied, from at least 150 to around 250; police and security officers were among those hurt.
How the crowd came to be pressed against the fence was disputed. Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said people in the upper seating level had begun throwing bottles at supporters of the losing team, who were required to leave first to keep the two groups apart. In his account, police tried to intervene before the crush pushed spectators into the barrier.
Witness Ali Qasrawi described a different sequence. He said Al-Faisaly supporters had left first and thrown bottles and stones at Al-Wehdat fans from outside, triggering the stampede. He also said police sealed the stadium exits, trapping Al-Wehdat supporters inside, and fired tear gas. Government officials denied police wrongdoing, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Amman reported.
The rivalry carried a significance beyond the score. That correspondent described Al-Wehdat supporters as generally of Palestinian origin and Al-Faisaly supporters as of Jordanian origin, and reported that tensions between the clubs’ fans had marred earlier matches. But the scale of the injuries that Friday was exceptionally high. Violence also spread outside the stadium, where witnesses reported cars being smashed.
The government launched an investigation into what had triggered the violence. Safadi said legal action would be taken against those who had broken the law. Al-Wehdat president Tareq Khouri announced that the club was suspending its participation in the Jordan Professional League until fair results of the inquiry were revealed.
For injured supporters interviewed by Ammon News, the questions about police conduct were immediate. Walid Jarrah, in a room at Al Bashir hospital, said he had not understood what was happening. “I just know that I was struck by anti-riot police, and found myself on a hospital bed.”
Ten-year-old Alaa’ Jamal Husni was also being treated there. His face was swollen. His father, Jamal Husni, said gendarmerie officers had struck spectators indiscriminately, sending people running toward the bottom of the stands, where the railing collapsed.
Alaa’ had fallen beneath the crowd at the bottom of the stands. His father said the boy was screaming, but he reached him only after the child had fainted. Speaking to Ammon News in a broken voice, Alaa’ described what those few minutes had felt like: “I felt that I was dying.”