JIS Roof Questions Observer Not Functioning During Brazil's U-17 Vs Argentina U-17 Match

JAKARTA Indonesian Football Observer Kesit Budi Handoyo questioned the roof of the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) which did not function during the rain ahead of the 2023 U-17 World Cup quarter-final match.

The stadium's roof did not function, causing a kick-off between Argentina's U-17 and Brazil's U-17 to be held for 30 minutes. The problem is that the front field side of the west tribune is flooded so that it does not allow the match to start.

Kesit said the puddle should not have happened if the roof of the stadium was functioning. Moreover, the stadium already uses an automatic open-close roof system aka retractable roof.

"This is a question, when it used to be heralded that the roof of JIS could be opened and closed but yesterday when it rained heavily, it didn't work," said Kesit when contacted.

The match between Argentina and Brazil then went normal despite being delayed. The field conditions for 90 minutes looked safe.

Kesit said that it was still within normal limits if a field was flooded with water for 30 minutes and then dried up again. He said the same thing also happened at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium.

"About 30 minutes of not being inundated, I think it's normal, yes, it's normal when the field is flooded, a maximum of 30 minutes, even though in the field there are many submerged areas," said Kesit.

"So even though the match was stopped, it was more about security, the safety of the players, because the rain was too heavy, it was feared that there would be lightning," he added.

Argentina closed this match with a 3-0 win over their rivals to reach the semifinals. La Albicelestes' three goals were scored by the young star Claudio Echiverri.

In the semi-finals, Diego Placente's troops will meet Germany, who qualified after eliminating Spain. The duel between the two teams will take place on November 28 at Manahan Stadium, Solo.