Fifa won’t sanction Indonesia over fatal crush at football match, says president

Soccer fans chant slogans during a candle light vigil for the victims of Saturday’s soccer stampede, in Sleman, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Indonesian police said Thursday they are bringing criminal charges against three officers and three civilians for their roles in the deaths of more than 100 people when police fired tear gas in a soccer stadium after a match, setting off a panicked run for the exits in which many were crushed. (AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)

Indonesia’s president has said the country will not face sanctions from football’s world governing body after the firing of tear gas inside a half-locked stadium caused a crush at the exits, killing 131 people, including 17 children.

Joko Widodo said Fifa president Gianni Infantino wrote in a letter to him about potential collaborations between Indonesia and Fifa, adding that the country will remain the host of next year’s U20 World Cup involving 24 countries from five continents.