Gianni Infantino (right), president of football’s world governing body FIFA, presents a souvenir to President Joko Widodo (left) during a joint press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on October 18, 2022. (AFP/Adek Berry)
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resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Tuesday that next year's U-20 soccer World Cup will be played in Indonesia as planned, despite a recent stadium tragedy that left 132 people dead.
Jokowi said he and the head of the world soccer body wanted FIFA standards to be adhered to when the tournament is held and they agreed that the management of soccer 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," Jokowi told reporters after he held talks with Infantino in Jakarta.
Infantino said FIFA will dispatch its experts to help with the reforms of Indonesian soccer.
"What I can guarantee to all the people of Indonesia: FIFA is here with you, FIFA is here to stay, FIFA is here to work in a very close partnership with the government, with the Asian Football Confederation and with the federation of Indonesia," Infantino said after meeting Jokowi.
The main focus would be improving stadium operations and fan behaviour, Infantino said, as well as creating programmes for football in schools.
"We will bring our experts, we will help and invest and we will make sure that Indonesia shines on the global football stage," he added.
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.