Indonesia to demolish site of mass stampede tragedy
Indonesia will demolish the stadium in Malang where at least 131 football fans were killed earlier this month when a stampede broke out after a match.
The Southeast Asian country’s president, Joko Widodo, announced the plans on Tuesday and said that the Kanjuruhan Stadium will be rebuilt according to FIFA-set safety standards.
Widodo revealed the news after meeting with the global football governing body’s president, Gianni Infantino.
With Indonesia set to host the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, he agreed to form a task force with Infantino ahead of the event next year.
The Indonesian leader conceded that his homeland must “thoroughly transform” how it manages football.
Infantino appeared alongside him and said that it is imperative for fans to feel they have been provided a safe environment to enjoy the sport.
“This is a football country, a country where football is a passion for over 100 million people,” Infantino said.
“We owe it to them that when they see a match, they are safe and secure.”
The deadly crush on October 1 was caused when fans tried to leave the stadium after Arema FC had been defeated by bitter rivals Persebaya.
It has been alleged that police tear-gassed fans, which caused thousands of spectators to rush toward exits where hundreds were killed and injured.
An investigation published last week not only found that the tragedy had been caused by police administering tear gas into the stands – which is banned by FIFA as a crowd control measure – but also by the stadium being filled beyond capacity, locked exit doors, and league officials pushing for the game to be held on a Saturday night to earn higher television ratings.
Six people, including police officers and organizers, face criminal charges over the tragedy and will be hit with criminal negligence causing death charges that carry a maximum sentence of five years.
Investigators have called on the board of the Indonesian Football Association to step down “as a form of responsibility,” but Infantino has assured Indonesia that it will not be stripped of the 2023 Under-20 World Cup as part of the fallout from the Malang incident.
The Kanjuruhan Stadium was not scheduled to host any games during the tournament, which will see 24 countries compete in six Indonesian cities next summer.
