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Indonesia enlists help of FIFA in soccer ‘transformation’
Keen to move on from the Kanjuruhan stadium tragedy, the government has entered into a partnership with FIFA to bring about sweeping changes to the local game.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (left) is presented with a souvenir jersey by Gianni Infantino, president of soccer's world governing body FIFA, during a joint press statement at the State Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 18, 2022. (AFP/Adek Berry)
T
he government will quite literally rebuild from the rubble of a tragedy as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo vowed to transform Indonesian soccer with the help of the sport’s world governing body FIFA, including by demolishing the site of one the world’s most harrowing stadium disasters.
Keen to move on from the Kanjuruhan tragedy in Malang, East Java, that left 132 people dead at the start of the month, the government has entered into a new partnership with FIFA to bring about sweeping changes to the local game before it hosts the U-20 World Cup competition next year.
Following a meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the State Palace on Tuesday, Jokowi said both sides agreed to commit to a “thorough transformation” of the sport in Indonesia, with a focus on ensuring that the safety of future matches would be up to global standards.
Part of it involves tearing down the Kanjuruhan Stadium to set an example for the rest of the nation’s venues.
“Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang [...] we will demolish it and rebuild according to FIFA standards,” Jokowi told reporters at the Palace in Central Jakarta.
He also noted that FIFA was eager to invest heavily in Indonesian soccer, and that the two sides would inspect several soccer stadiums before preparations for the U-20 competition commenced.
“We agreed that the tragedy was a very important lesson; not only for Indonesian soccer, but also for world soccer. [We] can’t let these incidents happen again,” the President said in a joint press statement.
