FIFA and Indonesia pledge to increase soccer safety following a catastrophic stampede

• FIFA and Indonesia pledge to increase soccer safety following a catastrophic stampede.
• Infantino asserted that improving Indonesia’s football would be the nation’s top priority.
• The government-formed fact-finding committee provide an explanation for deadliest stadium accidents in history.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday agreed to review safety protocols at stadiums across the nation, following the death of more than 130 spectators in a stampede at a match earlier this month.

FIFA’s president was in Jakarta to meet with President Widodo following their agreement to establish a joint taskforce in the wake of the disaster at the stadium and as Indonesia gears up to host the Under-20 World Cup in 2019.

Infantino asserted that improving Indonesia’s football would be the nation’s top priority and that the safety and security of soccer supporters should come first.

The stampede that occurred after a game on October 1 at East Java’s Kanjuruhan Stadium has been attributed to police shooting tear gas onto the field, a method of crowd control that FIFA has outlawed.

Infantino is scheduled to speak about Indonesia’s capacity to host international events during a gathering of the Group of Twenty (G20) major countries in Bali this November, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) announced last week.

The government-formed fact-finding committee, under pressure to provide an explanation for what led to one of the deadliest stadium accidents in history, issued a report last week that found that the “excessive” and “indiscriminate” deployment of tear gas was the main cause of death.