From Cramped Changing Rooms To Portable Tents For Press Conferences, Liga 1 In Bali Is Criticized, LIB's Managing Director: What Matters Is A Good Pitch

Illustration of a League 1 match (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA – The New Indonesian League (LIB) as the operator of the Indonesian Liga 1 responded to the criticism they received regarding the inadequate match support facilities.

The fourth series of the Indonesian Liga 1 competition, which is centered in Bali, has rolled into the fourth match this week. However, there are still many problems that are still in the public spotlight.

Director of LIB Akhmad Hadian Lukita explained that his party was continuously trying to fix these problems. They also communicate with the contestants on the issues at hand.

"We will fix the existing (problems) first. The important thing is that the football field is good. It's standard. For other facilities, we will continue to improve," he said by telephone to VOI.

"With our club we communicate. We have a WhatsApp group, there is also direct communication with various levels, both the manager level, the board of directors. Playing anywhere there are always improvements."

The first criticism that LIB had to accept was the blackout incident when Tira Persikabo was undergoing official training. This incident made Laskar Padjajaran send a letter to the operator to question the unpreparedness of the venue.

The next criticism was delivered by the coach of Persebaya Surabaya, Aji Santoso. The tactician assessed that the dressing room used by his team was too narrow and not suitable for the national highest caste football.

"The changing room has been enlarged. Actually the room is big but there is a bulkhead that interferes with it, so we dismantle it. If the dressing room is there, I think there is no problem," said Hadian.

The problem of facilities and infrastructure has made a number of parties assess the unpreparedness of LIB. The operation of the Indonesian League 1 in Bali is considered too forced by the operators.

The latest buzzing issue is the portable tent used as a press conference room. Despite facing a lot of pressure, Hadian said there were no plans to move the competition elsewhere.

"If the press conference room is not the main thing, but we are looking for a way out to make it more comfortable. In that case, I think the current condition is still the same but we will fix it. It doesn't matter because it's virtual too," he said.