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Transforming soccer
The transformation of the sport is long overdue, and a plurality of voices is key. It is essential that the government bring both experts and supporters into the effort to achieve real and lasting stadium safety.
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Arema FC soccer players and officials leave flowers on a monument outside Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, on Oct. 3 as they pay respects to the victims of the stampede that followed the Oct. 1 match between Arema and Persebaya FC. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
H
ome to millions of soccer fans, Indonesian should, in principle, be well poised to lead the regional development of the sport, both in terms of athletic achievement and in the maintenance of first-rate facilities. The Oct. 1 Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy, however, has shown how far we lag behind.
The incident in Malang, East Java, saw some 130 fatalities – 33 of whom were minors – as a result of a stampede likely caused, and almost certainly exacerbated, by safety negligence.
The National Police have name six suspects in the calamity, which followed an Indonesian premier league match between Arema FC and visiting Persebaya Surabaya. Three of the suspects are organizers who were in charge of stadium standards, spectator safety and the match’s security assessment. The remaining three are local police officers accused of firing tear gas into the playing field and stands, despite world soccer governing body FIFA’s ban on the painful and indiscriminate gas.
The suspects have been charged under Articles 359 and 360 of the Criminal Code for negligence causing death and bodily harm, as well as Article 103 of Law No. 11/2022 on sports for failing to fulfill safety requirements for holding a sporting competition, which carries a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment.
Only a few months ago, the country witnessed two other incidents involving soccer fans. Five supporters of Persib Bandung were killed in June and two PSS Sleman supporters died in July.
The top-tier soccer league hosts some of the country’s largest live events. Many of those responsible for organizing the matches, however, seem to focus on monetization at the cost of public safety, especially with regard to venue standards and crowd control.
In response to the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy, the government has vowed to “transform Indonesian soccer”.
On Friday evening, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced that FIFA chief Gianni Infantino had said the body would not punish Indonesia for the Oct. 1 disaster, the second-deadliest soccer incident in history.
Instead, Jokowi said, the government and FIFA would seek to improve soccer safety standards cooperatively.
“FIFA and the government will, together, form a team to transform Indonesian soccer,” Jokowi said, adding that the FIFA boss would visit the country soon to discuss the plans further.
In accordance with a FIFA directive and with the help of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Indonesia has said it will seek to transform soccer safety by (1) establishing standard stadium safety procedures, (2) formulating standard police security protocols based on international standards, (3) communicating with supporters to collect input and make commitments, (4) reevaluating match scheduling based on risks and (5) partnering with experts.
This transformation is long overdue, and the plurality of voices is key. It is essential that the government bring both experts and supporters into the effort to achieve real and lasting stadium safety.
With FIFA’s support and the government’s commitments, the plan seems promising. But, as always, the devil is in the details.
We’ve lost too many lives in the name of what should be a joyful pastime and showcase of athleticism. Enough is enough. In the next few years, we will see whether Indonesia is truly committed to transforming its soccer safety culture. Only after ensuring the safety of every fan and player will we be ready to continue our journey to international achievement in the sport.
