2023 U-20 football World Cup to be held in Indonesia despite stampede
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Tuesday that next year’s U-20 football World Cup will be played in Indonesia as planned, despite a recent stadium tragedy that left 132 people dead.
Widodo said he and the head of the sport’s world governing body wanted FIFA standards to be adhered to when the tournament is held and they agreed that the management of football matches in Indonesia needed to be reformed.
“Safety and security for both players and spectators should be guaranteed. For that, we agreed to review the condition of stadiums and also apply technologies to help mitigate any potential danger to players and spectators,” Widodo said after he held talks with Infantino in Jakarta.
Infantino said FIFA will dispatch its experts to help with the reforms of Indonesian football.
In addition to the fatalities, the fatal stampede in East Java Province on Oct. 1, also left nearly 500 others injured.
The riot occurred after Arema FC from the city of Malang were beaten by rivals Persebaya from the provincial capital of Surabaya, prompting a number of angry Arema supporters to invade the pitch and chase after Persebaya players and officials.
Police fired tear gas canisters into the crowd at Kanjuruhan Stadium, where about 42,000 spectators were packed into a ground that has a capacity of 38,000.