JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s football association (PSSI) on Thursday picked Erick Thohir, a senior cabinet minister and a former chairman of Inter Milan, as its new chief, months after suffering one of the world’s deadliest stadium stampedes.
The October disaster at the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java, killed 135 people and prompted widespread concerns about safety standards. An investigation concluded excessive and indiscriminate tear gas use was the main cause.
Indonesian soccer has been blighted by match-fixing scandals and crowd trouble and Erick, who has been state-owned enterprises minister since 2019, will be tasked with working with world governing body FIFA to improve safety and ensure smooth hosting of the Under-20 World Cup in May.
In an Instagram post, he said Indonesia needed to bring “safe, fun soccer matches.”
“We need to ensure our sport is clean and triumphant,” said Erick, who was Inter’s majority owner is currently joint majority shareholder in English third-tier side Oxford United.
After the announcement, local media quoted President Joko Widodo as saying he hoped the new PSSI chief would “totally reform” Indonesian soccer.
Soccer analyst Tommy Welly said Erick’s selection could prompt concern about possible conflicts of interests, however, given his cabinet role.
Indonesia has a track record of run-ins with FIFA over its governance, which included a year-long suspension in 2015. FIFA’s statutes allow for sanctions against a member federation if subjected to “third-party influence”, even if it was not responsible.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Additional reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Martin Petty)
