The investigators' report called for the resignation of the PSSI chairman and executive committee.

PSSI executive committee member Ahmad Riyadh said the association had no plans to hold an extraordinary congress – which he claimed would be required for such resignations and replacements to take place – in the near future.

“The call for resignation is only a recommendation. It is a suggestion,” Riyadh said in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday evening, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

The Kanjuruhan stampede occurred after police officers fired tear gas inside the stadium in response to fans rushing the playing field after a match between home team Arema FC and archrival Persebaya Surabaya. It was one of the deadliest disasters in soccer history.

The death toll recently rose to 134 people – more than 40 of whom were children.

A fan who sustained injuries in the stampede died on Thursday after being treated for more than two weeks in a local hospital. The 17-year-old Arema FC died of multiple injuries, including one to his head. 

Earlier on Thursday, PSSI chairman Mochamad Iriawan, also known as Iwan Bule, was questioned at the East Java Police headquarters for five hours over the incident. 

Iwan, a former Jakarta police chief, was tight-lipped following the questioning session, telling waiting reporters only that he was glad it was over.

“Today, I have answered the summons of the East Java Police. I am sorry I was not able to answer the first summons due to activity with [international soccer governing body] FIFA,” he said without making further statements.

On Tuesday, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino met with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Jakarta, after which the pair pledged to improve match safety in the country and to demolish and rebuild Kanjuruhan Stadium to prevent a repeat of the disaster.

On Wednesday, the PSSI posted photos on Twitter of Infantino laughing and high-fiving PSSI officials – including Iwan – in a recreational soccer match just weeks after the disaster. Social media users accused the officials of tone-deafness in the wake of the tragedy.

Riyadh said holding an extraordinary congress was the prerogative of PSSI members. If members called for such a meeting, the association would convene it, he said, but so far none had asked.

Riyadh claimed it was more important to focus on repairing regulations.

“Four previous congresses have resulted in what? Things remain the same. We need to concentrate on making PSSI better,” he said.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, who headed the fact-finding team, noted in its report that the government could not intervene in the PSSI.

“However, in a country that has moral and ethical foundations as well as high culture, it is only right for the PSSI chairman and all of its executive members to resign as a form of moral responsibility,” Mahfud wrote in the conclusion of the report.

A 124-page list of recommendations compiled by the investigators was handed to President Jokowi earlier this month. 

The team, which included government officials and soccer and security experts, investigated how more than 130 people had died in the post-match crush and concluded that tear gas had been the main cause.

The fact-finding team found that the police personnel on duty were unaware that tear gas was prohibited at soccer matches. The tear gas had been fired "indiscriminately" and the officers had employed "excessive" measures, it said.

The police have sought to play down their role in the tragedy, noting that narrow doorways in the over-capacity stadium exacerbated the crush. The police and Indonesian Military (TNI) are investigating dozens of their personnel in relation to the incident. 

The investigators also concluded that match organizer PT Liga Indonesia Baru had been negligent as well. (dre)

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