Knock! The Police Give Permit To The 2021 Menpora Cup Pre-season Tournament

Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali and National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo (Photo: Kemenpora)

JAKARTA - The National Police of the Republic of Indonesia (Polri) officially gave permission from the crowd to hold the 2021 Menpora Cup national football pre-season tournament which is planned to be rolled out from March 20 to April 25.

Reporting from Antara, Thursday, the permit was handed over directly to the National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, to Menpora Zainudin Amali at the National Police Headquarters, Jakarta.

"Hopefully all football stakeholders, both clubs, players and supporters can maintain a common commitment, especially regarding priority health protocols," said Listyo.

Then, the National Police Chief confirmed that this pre-season tournament was an indicator for the issuance of League 1 and League 2 season 2021 permits.

The man from Maluku said that his party is not reluctant to make decisions if the pre-season tournament does not go according to plan.

"If the pre-season tournament goes well, the enforcement of regulations related to health protocols goes well, then we will provide leeway for the next tournament. However, if not, of course we will conduct an evaluation," said Listyo.

The National Police Chief also hopes that the pre-season tournament, which will be referred to as the 2021 Menpora Cup, can provide entertainment for people who are locked in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Head of Bareskrim Polri 2019-2021 also hopes that both PSSI and Kemenpora can find the best players from pre-season tournaments who can represent Indonesia in various international competitions including the 2021 SEA Games and the 2023 U-20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Menpora Zainudin Amali said that from the start he was sure that the National Police could formulate the best in terms of the pre-season tournament.

And, in line with the National Police Chief, Zainudin also asked all parties to comply with and carry out proper health protocols during the competition. This was also President Joko Widodo's request, which he conveyed directly to him.

"Mr. President left a message so that the health protocol is properly maintained. The President said, don't sacrifice the community. And I say, we are also committed to maintaining it," said the Menpora.

The 2021 Menpora Cup pre-season tournament will be followed by 20 teams, namely 18 League 1 clubs and two teams from Liga 2.

The competition will go through the group stage. The organizer determines that there are four groups, where one group contains five teams. Each group will then run all matches in the designated area.

There are four regions that will host the group stage, namely Solo, Bandung, Sleman and Malang. However, other places have also been prepared as alternatives, namely Solo, Bandung, Malang and Palembang.

The location selection was based on the recommendation of the National Police which assessed the number of sufferers of COVID-19.

From the group phase, the best teams step into the last eight, then the semifinals and finals. There is also a slot for third place.