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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Sport
Asharq Al-Awsat

FIFA, Indonesia Vow to Improve Football Safety after Fatal Stampede

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) receives a ball from President of Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino during their meeting at Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, 18 October 2022. (EPA)

FIFA head Gianni Infantino and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday agreed to re-evaluate safety measures at stadiums across the country, after more than 130 people were killed in a crowd stampede at a match this month.

The head of world football's governing body was in Jakarta to meet President Widodo after Indonesia and FIFA agreed to form a joint taskforce in the wake of the stadium tragedy, and as the Southeast Asian country prepares to host the Under-20 World Cup next year.

Infantino said the first priority in Indonesia would be to reform and transform the country's football, and that football fans were owed safety and security.

The stampede, which followed a match at East Java's Kanjuruhan Stadium on Oct 1, has been blamed on police firing tear gas onto the pitch, a crowd control measure banned by FIFA.

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) said last week that Infantino was expected to address a meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) major economies in Bali this November about Indonesia's readiness to host international events.

Under pressure to explain what caused one of the world's deadliest stadium disasters, a fact-finding team formed by the government released a report last week which concluded that the "excessive" and "indiscriminate" use of tear gas was the leading cause of death.

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