Indonesia may demolish football stadium where stampede took over 130 lives

• Indonesia may demolish the football stadium where the stampede took over 130 lives.
• He promised to “completely reform” soccer in the soccer-crazed country.
• The fatal stampede that occurred after a league game in Malang on October 1 has been attributed to police.

President Joko Widodo announced that Indonesia would decimate and rebuild the football stadium where a stampede earlier this month claimed more than 130 lives. He also promised to “completely reform” soccer in the soccer-crazed country.

Jokowi, the president, was speaking to the media at the state palace after meeting Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, the organization that governs soccer worldwide.

He declared, “We will demolish the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang and reconstruct it in accordance with FIFA standards.”

The fatal stampede that occurred after a league game in Malang on October 1 has been attributed to police using tear gas inside the stadium, a method of crowd control that FIFA has outlawed.

The president said that he and Infantino had agreed on important adjustments to the way sport was run in Indonesia.

We decided to completely revamp Indonesian soccer, he continued. “FIFA standards must be the foundation of every part of the preparation,”

Jokowi and Infantino’s meeting comes after Indonesia and FIFA decided to establish a joint task group in the wake of the disaster at the stadium and as the nation gears up to host the Under-20 World Cup in 2019.

Infantino stated that FIFA’s top goal was to make sure that players and supporters in the Southeast Asian country were safe. Jokowi concurred.

Over 100 million people in this country are passionate about football, the speaker declared. “We owe it to them that they are safe and comfortable while they watch a match.”

Infantino said the world soccer organization will work closely with the government to ensure that all venues satisfied safety regulations and that the Under-20 World Cup ran smoothly the following year. Infantino gave the president a red FIFA jersey with his name emblazoned across it.

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.

After Persebaya Surabaya defeated the home team Arema FC, the fans tried to leave the stadium, but they got stuck in a horrific crush, and many of them, including more than 40 children, died from asphyxiation.

Other variables cited in the investigation include overcrowding in the stadium, barred exits, and league executives’ insistence to play the game at night in order to boost ratings for a local broadcaster despite police requests to play a match between bitter rivals during the day.

Additionally, the fact-finding team reported that more than three hours of CCTV footage had been removed around an hour after the contest. Police have been asked to give this video to the team.

The group also demanded the resignation of the president of the Indonesian Football Association.

Also Read

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

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