Why 'One Minute Silence' Opens Indonesia vs Bangladesh Match - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The face off between Indonesia and Bangladesh in their final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Thursday began with a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy.

Both teams stood in the middle of the pitch, arms around each other while bowing their heads as the referee blew the whistle that signaled the start of the  moment of silence.

Today is the fourth anniversary of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy, the incident that occurred four years ago on October 1 at Kanjurugan Stadium in Malang Regency, killing 135 people.

The match was between the home team, Arema FC, and the visiting team, Persebaya Surabaya. The match ended in a 3-2 victory for Persebaya.

Meanwhile, on a previous occasion, Indonesian national team coach John Herdman urged the team to use the game against Bangladesh to pay tribute to the victims of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy.

"I think internally, of course. This team represents football in this country. Even when we were in Canada, North America, we all knew what happened here," said Herdman at STIK Stadium, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

The coach, who led Canada to the 2022 World Cup, hopes the Garuda team can show their respect appropriately, namely by delivering a victory and securing their place in the FIFA ASEAN Cup final, which will be played next Monday.

"Of course [we must pay the utmost respect]. This team represents the country's football. If we forget, we won't learn," he said.

Indonesia currently leads Bangladesh 6-1 at halftime, with Mitchell Baker starring with four goals.