A football stadium in Indonesia will be rebuilt from scratch following a deadly stampede there earlier this month.
President Joko Widodo promised to “thoroughly transform” football in the country following the tragedy which left 132 people – including 43 children – dead.
“Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang…we will demolish it and rebuild according to FIFA standards,” he told reporters at the state palace after meeting Gianni Infantino, the head of world football’s governing body.
On October 1, police fired tear gas at the stadium – despite the control measure being banned by FIFA – after fans went on to the pitch at the end of the game, causing people to panic and attempt to flee.
More than 130 spectators were fatally crushed in the stampede and 580 more injured.
The leading cause of death was the “excessive” and “indiscriminate” use of tear gas, according to a government fact-finding team report last week.
The report also said the stadium was filled beyond capacity, exit doors blocked and the match was held at night to secure better TV ratings.
The fact-finding team also said more than three hours of CCTV footage about an hour after the match had been deleted. They requested police provide this footage and called on the head of the Indonesian Football Association to resign.
In wake of the stadium stampede, Indonesia and FIFA formed a joint taskforce in preparation for the country to host the Under-20 World Cup safely next year.
Mr Infantino, who gifted the Indonesian president a red FIFA jersey with his name printed across it, said the global soccer body would work closely together with the government to ensure all stadiums met safety requirements.
President Widodo agreed there needs to be significant changes made in Indonesia to how the sport was conducted.
“We agreed to thoroughly transform Indonesian soccer,” he said. “Every aspect of preparation… needs to be based on FIFA standards.”
Mr Infantino added: “This is a football country, a country where football is a passion for over 100 million people. We owe it to them that when they see a match they are safe and secure.”