Infantino with the president of Indonesia in Jakarta (Adik Berry/Getty)
Indonesia, through its President Joko Widodo, announced today, Tuesday, that it was decided to demolish… stadium Kanjuro Han, who witnessed more than 130 deaths in a stampede on 1 October.
The riots erupted after the match ended, when host Arima FC from Malang city in East Java lost to Persibaya team from Surabaya 3-2, and investigations into the accident revealed that one of the causes of what happened was the police firing tear gas, which is forbidden to be used inside Stadiums under FIFA regulations, on crowded stands.
“For the Kanjuru Han Stadium in Malang, we will demolish and reconstruct it in line with FIFA standards, with appropriate facilities to ensure the safety of players and fans,” Widodo told reporters after meeting FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
For his part, Infantino said in a joint press conference with Widodo from Jakarta today: “We will prioritize the development of Indonesian football to ensure the safety and protection of the fans. “.
And the first FIFA man added, “The infrastructure also needs to be reassessed, because part of the accidents that can occur are usually related to its condition. We support Indonesia to organize the World Cup under 2023, which was scheduled to be held in 2021, and was postponed due to the Corona pandemic.”