The team, which included government officials, soccer and security experts, had been investigating how more than 130 people died in a stampede sparked by police firing tear gas into packed stands took place after a match between home team Arema FC and rivals Persebaya Surabaya on Oct. 1 in the Kanjuruhan Stadium. 

The investigation team was set up as anger rose against the perceived police responsibility for the tragedy that saw dozens of children killed in a crush as they rushed for restricted exits.

Mahfud said a separate team was still investigating the toxicity of the gas used, but that whatever the result, it could not "diminish the conclusion that the massive [number of] deaths was mainly caused by tear gas."  

Authorities and the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) have faced mounting questions and criticism over why police fired tear gas inside the stadium, a crowd control measure banned by world soccer governing body FIFA. 

The fact-finding team found the police personnel on duty had no knowledge of the prohibition of tear gas at soccer matches. 

The tear gas had been fired "indiscriminately" and the officers had employed "excessive" measures, it said. 

​​Mahfud said the incident was more harrowing than previously known, based on CCTV footage from 32 cameras reviewed by the team. 

"We discovered the fact that the situation – where many victims were falling – was far more terrifying than what was seen on TV or social media," he said as quoted by Reuters after meeting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

The police have sought to play down their role in the tragedy, emphasizing that narrow doors in the over-capacity stadium, exacerbated the crush. 

The police and military are investigating dozens of their personnel in relation to the incident. 

The investigators concluded that the PSSI had been negligent by ignoring regulations and called for the resignation of its chairman and executive committee. 

 

"Technically, the government cannot intervene in the PSSI, but in a country based on morals, ethics and great culture, it is recommended the PSSI chairman and all the executive committee members resign as the form of responsibility," the task force report said.

It added that match organizer PT Liga Indonesia Baru had also been negligent.  

Mahfud also blamed other football stakeholders including Arema FC, accusing them of negligence. 

"We also found out the stakeholders dodged their responsibilities, they all took shelter under the regulations and contracts which are technically legal," he said. 

The fact-finding team also suggested the PSSI revise its regulations to eliminate any potential conflict of interest between the police and the association. 

Mahfud said the findings, detailed in a 124-page list of recommendations, had been handed to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.  

Earlier this week the PSSI announced that it had formed a joint task force with FIFA in a bid to improve crowd control and safety measures. The rare intervention by the sport's governing body comes as Indonesia is due to host the FIFA under-20 World Cup next year.    

Rights groups and survivors told AFP the police used excessive force in responding to a pitch invasion while experts on Indonesian football said the country's most popular sport had been poorly managed by officials at all levels for decades.

In response to the disaster, Jokowi suspended all football matches until the investigation was complete and ordered a safety review of all stadiums.

The current head of the PSSI Mochammad Iriawan is the former police chief of Jakarta. At least six people including three police officers have been charged in the deadly incident.