FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised to help improve Indonesian football after the Kanjuruhan Tragedy. He will also ensure that the 2023 U-20 World Cup can be carried out properly.
This was conveyed by the Swiss man in his speech at the State Palace, Tuesday (18/10/2022) after meeting President Joko Widodo. According to him, improvements in Indonesian football need to be carried out in various aspects, from infrastructure to security for spectators.
Infantino also emphasized that football in Indonesia in particular and in the world in general should be a source of happiness and joy, not a source of pain and sadness like what happened in Malang on October 1 last.
Therefore, FIFA is determined to assist the Government of Indonesia in reforming and transforming national football so that the Kanjuruhan Tragedy, which killed 133 people, will not be repeated in the future.
Here is the full statement by FIFA President Gianni Infantino:
Today I am honored to meet the President of Indonesia, and the first topic we will discuss is that I express to the President my deepest sympathy and condolences for the families of the victims who tragically died in Malang.
For FIFA, and for the rest of the world, this is a shocking tragedy, one of the darkest days in the history of football. We, together with President Jokowi, share the sadness experienced by the families of the victims. One of my visits to Indonesia is to honor these people.
But I’m also here to agree on a new step for Indonesian football. This I can guarantee to President Jokowi and all the people of Indonesia, FIFA is here for you.
We are here to stay, working in close partnership with the Government of Indonesia, with the Asian Football Federation (AFC), with the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), to transform and reform football, because football should be about joy and happiness.
Our first priority when coming here and working in our office in Indonesia, we have to transform and reform football in this country.
Indonesia is a football country, a country that loves football so much among its nearly 300 million people, we owe it to them, that every spectator should feel safe and comfortable when watching football in stadiums.
We agreed to work together to focus on the operation of the existing stadiums, as well as focus on the stadiums themselves. Then also to the supporters, the behavior of the supporters, making football projects for schools, we will manage it together with the government.
Then also about the stadium infrastructure that needs to be considered, because the tragedy that occurred (in Malang) is also related to infrastructure. Therefore we will bring football experts from us, we will help and ensure Indonesia shines in the local football scene.
That’s why I came to Jakarta to meet the President. Next year, we will together hold the U-20 World Cup. This is the most important competition in men’s football after the World Cup, which starts in Qatar soon.
The world’s best players will come to Indonesia, and they will show their talents in Indonesia to be shown to the whole world. Therefore, we need the best stadiums, we need a smooth operation, because we will show the image of Indonesia to the world.
And the image of Indonesia in the eyes of the world is not that of a country that has tragedy in its stadium, but a country that has a vision for the future, has a young population who loves football, and a country that wants to celebrate and present football to the world.
Because football also means joy and happiness, and the World Cup that we hold next year will be a unique opportunity to promote Indonesia for the future, and starting from now until the tournament later, until after the World Cup we will make sure Indonesia is not only a strong country in terms of from an economic point of view by holding the G20 meeting, but also being the center of football in the region, and from here will allow football to continue to grow throughout the world.
(adp/aff)
