All Eyes on Indonesia: Kanjuruhan Tragedy, FIFA’s Actions and Indonesian Football Evaluations
By: Wan Mohammad Alvaro Anza
A gloomy October for football fans in Indonesia, around the world and Indonesian citizens as a whole. The Kanjuruhan Tragedy (01/10) is one of the deadliest football matches to date as it saw the death of 132 supporters in a rivalry match between Arema Malang and Persebaya Surabaya, and this time it was not because of force majeure instead, it was deemed as a collective error. At first, all stakeholders denied all allegations as they believed that they acted according to regulations and policies enacted. The use of tear gas by the police was actually banned by FIFA — the main international governing body for football — and police still believed that it did not spark the chaos that night (Reuters, 2022). Even worse, PSSI as Indonesia’s main governing body denied any involvement with the tragedy saying that it is the fault of event organizers as they failed to coordinate the match properly.
FIFA on the other hand, represented by its president, Gianni Infantino has released statements regarding the tragedy and saying how at first sanctions were possible for Indonesian football. However, Joko Widodo has clarified that it would not be done and instead FIFA seeks for collaboration alongside Indonesian football as they are the hosts for the upcoming U-20 FIFA World Cup (Aljazeera, 2022). However, as Indonesians this must not be seen as an achievement where FIFA does not sanction Indonesia and making statements as if Indonesia is “respected” — we must instead question and ask these people where do we seek justice when police officers are the perpetrators.
Finally, Indonesian football is known to be one of the most, if not the deadliest league and rivalry in the footballing world. Riots and deaths are not uncommon every time a rivalry game is played, yet the momentum that turned this all is regarded to be the Kanjuruhan Tragedy. Supporters pledged alliances and peace to avoid any more football-related deaths in Indonesia (Zilky, 2022). However, It is an irony that Indonesian football must witness the death of over 130 supporters to finally be at mutual terms with one another. It is indeed an evaluation for the Indonesian government, PSSI, FIFA, and all related stakeholders. How can people enjoy the beautiful game if these kinds of tragedies keep on happening?
Wan Mohammad Alvaro Anza is the Vice-Head of the Research and Development Division of FPCI UGM. This article represents his own views and not necessarily those of FPCI UGM
Reference list
Aljazeera (2022). Indonesia president says no FIFA sanctions after stadium disaster. [online] www.aljazeera.com. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/8/indonesia-president-says-no-fifa-sanctions-after-stadium-disaster [Accessed 14 Oct. 2022].
Reuters (2022). Indonesia’s fatal soccer stampede caused by tear gas, say investigators. Reuters. [online] 14 Oct. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesias-fatal-soccer-stampede-caused-by-tear-gas-say-investigators-2022-10-14/ [Accessed 14 Oct. 2022].
Zilky, A. (2022). Tragedi Kanjuruhan Jadi Momentum Damai Suporter, Hentikan Kebencian Halaman all. [online] KOMPAS.com. Available at: https://bola.kompas.com/read/2022/10/05/08400028/tragedi-kanjuruhan-jadi-momentum-damai-suporter-hentikan-kebencian?page=all [Accessed 14 Oct. 2022].
