Qatar Tribune
Indonesia will still host the under-20 World Cup next year despite a stadium stampede that left more than 130 people dead earlier this month, the president of world football’s governing body FIFA said Tuesday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said it was setting up an office in Indonesia to oversee efforts to change the country’s football in the wake of the tragedy at Kanjuruhan Stadium on October 1.
“We have the under-20 World Cup in which the best players of the world will come to Indonesia and their talent will shine from Indonesia to the entire world,” Infantino said at a press conference after a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
“To do this, we need 10 state-of-the-art stadiums, we need operations that run smoothly and seamlessly,” he said.
The U20 World Cup is scheduled to run from May 20 through June 11 next year. The tournament was due to be held in 2021 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reform will focus on the operations of stadiums, fan behavior and infrastructure, Infantino said.
Chaos at Kanjuruhan Stadium erupted after thousands of fans invaded the pitch as hosts Arema FC lost 3-2 to rivals Persebaya Surabaya.
Police fired tear gas to quell the pitch invaders, sending spectators scrambling to partially opened exit gates only to get caught in a crush. Some 133 people died in the disaster, including 37 children.
An independent fact-finding team found that tear gas fired by police was to blame for the deadly stampede and called for a criminal investigation into the action of security personnel.
Police have said that six people face charges of criminal negligence in connection with the stampede. The charge carries a maximum jail sentence of five years.