Indonesia's largest stadium was officially inaugurated on July 24, after four years of construction. The spectators were treated to musical performances and a friendly match between local Persija and Thai Choinburi FC. However, it was not without incident, as during the event one of the barriers on the stands collapsed.

The first sporting event held at Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) was the April mini-tournament - the International Youth Championship (IYC). Four teams took part: FC Barcelona U-18, Atletico Madrid U-18, Bali United U-18 and Indonesia All-Star U20. Blaugrana's youth players won the trophy, beating their peers from Atleti 1:0 in the final. We wrote more extensively about the whole event here.

Last weekend it was finally time for the full-fledged inauguration. More than 60,000 spectators were seated in the stands of the giant, with a capacity of 82,000. Tickets for the event were free, but it was necessary to register in advance via a special app and take a booster dose of the vaccine.

© Fritz Markus

The opening ceremony of the JIS began with an appearance of popular Indonesian music stars. The audience then watched a friendly match between Persija Jakarta and Thai team Chonburi FC. The encounter ended in a 3:3 draw. Unfortunately, before the match even started, a dangerous-looking accident took place. The barriers separating the lower level of the stands behind one of the goals collapsed at some point. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The local authorities have announced that they will conduct a thorough investigation to look into the causes of the incident. The JIS infrastructure will be carefully inspected to assess whether anything was negligent during construction and whether the barrier was constructed sufficiently firmly. It is possible that fans with their "high spirits" as Jakarta's deputy governor Ahmad Riza Patria described it, are to blame for everything.

© D'Erlangga

One thing is indisputable, such an incident should not take place during a mass event. The cause of the accident must be found immediately and the safety of spectators needs to be improved. One dreads to think what could have happened if there had been more spectators in the stadium and the event itself had not been a 'picnic' itself.

The just inaugurated Jakarta International Stadium has a business area with 52 boxes in the auditorium and an impressive panoramic viewing terrace. In addition, next to the arena there are two training pitches with a surface identical in quality to that on the main one. A retractable roof allows various types of events to take place. Fans will be able to use the car park for 1,900 cars and 1,000 mopeds.

© Ngabila Salama Jepret

Next year, Indonesia will host the Under-20 World Cup, the country's first such major football tournament. The competition will be held at 6 stadiums. The title is defended by Ukraine, which won the 2019 tournament hosted by Poland. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the organisers to rise to the challenge and ensure the safety of the audience.