JAKARTA - World Cup qualifying matches and several Asian Champions League matches have been postponed due to COVID-19 or the increasingly widespread corona virus. PSSI Chairperson Mochamad Iriawan respects the decisions made by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as well as appreciates the anticipatory steps taken.
According to Iriawan, PSSI has received a letter from AFC conveying several decisions on the results of the 'Emergency Meeting' at the AFC, 2 March. The emergency meeting which took place in Kuala Lumpur resulted in several important decisions regarding the recent outbreak of the corona virus.
AFC has officially postponed the second round of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup due to the issue of the corona virus outbreak. March matches are changed to October and June's matches become November.
“These are unexpected and challenging times. But the AFC is working tirelessly to monitor the situation, including various travel restrictions while in constant contact with members of the AFC, the League and our clubs, "said Dato Windsor John, Secretary General of the AFC in his letter.
Thus, Indonesia's match against host Thailand, which was originally scheduled for 26 March 2020, was postponed to 8 October 2020. Likewise, Indonesia's home match against the United Arab Emirates, which was originally on 31 March 2020, was changed to 13 October 2020.
The away match against Vietnam was previously scheduled for June 4 to November 12, 2020.
"Our national team has made preparations last month. The plan is that in mid-March, they will gather again. But we both understand the latest developments in the world, which directly or indirectly affect football activities. However, humanity is above everything, ”said Iriawan.
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