In early October, a stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang killed 133 people, including more than 40 children. Now the football stadium is to be demolished and then rebuilt with increased safety standards.
After the deadly mass panic that killed 133 people after a soccer game in Indonesia, the stadium is to be demolished. The Kanjuruhan stadium will be rebuilt according to Fifa standards and thus safer for players and spectators, announced head of state Joko Widodo after a meeting with the president of the world football association, Gianni Infantino. Infantino had previously pledged support for the Southeast Asian country to reform Indonesian football.
133 people, including more than 40 children, died in the mass panic at the beginning of October in the stadium in the city of Malang in the eastern part of the island of Java. Authorities say the massive use of tear gas by the police sparked panic after supporters of the local club stormed onto the pitch after losing to their arch-rivals.
However, only two people could fit through the entrance gates of the stadium, which can seat around 42,000 spectators. Some were also still closed when the crowd tried to flee the stadium. According to Indonesian football experts, outdated stadiums, mismanagement and fierce supporters had repeatedly fueled violence and stampedes before the tragedy, which had killed scores since the 1990s.
