Erick Thohir Says The U-20 National Team Will Undergo TC At IKN

Photo archive - training for Indonesian U-20 national team players. (DOC. ANTARA PHOTO)

JAKARTA - The U-20 national team will undergo a training camp (TC) in the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), East Kalimantan, after the first phase of the PSSI Training Center building was inaugurated.

"The U-20 national team will be there for a week," said PSSI General Chair Erick Thohir at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, quoting ANTARA, Saturday, September 21.

He said, while at IKN, the U-20 national team would use all PSSI facilities there and then feel the strengths and weaknesses.

The U-20 national team staff, Erick continued, had to record the pluses and minuses of the infrastructure and then report it to PSSI.

"That's important because we want to make sure the players and coaches feel at home there, as well as how they are committed to focus," he said.

Erick himself has not confirmed when the U-20 national team TC, which is now being coached by Indra Sjafri, will begin at IKN.

Even so, the man who is also the Minister of SOEs ensured that the PSSI Training Center at IKN for the first phase of construction would be inaugurated on October 11, 2024 by President Joko Widodo. The President will be accompanied by the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino.

According to Erick, in the first phase, it will be ratified the existence of two training fields and a dormitory with a capacity of 85 rooms.

The place, he added, was mainly used for the national team of age groups, both men and women.

The PSSI Training Center at IKN has an area of about 34.5 hectares. When the construction was completed as a whole, the location had eight fields and dormitories with a total capacity of 138 people for players, coaches and head coaches.

There are also various supporting facilities such as physiotherapy, fitness centers and medical care.

To support the construction of the PSSI Training Center, FIFA through the FIFA Forward program provided a grant of USD 5.6 million or around IDR 85 billion.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government disbursed a total of IDR 127.10 billion in 2024 which was intended to meet the equipment and operational costs of the PSSI training center in the capital city of Nusantara (IKN) as well as other PSSI programs such as the men's and women's national team training camp both at home and abroad, various activities as well as competitions such as the Indonesian League 3 as well as sharpening technical insights and soccer governance with training for coaches and referees.