The Pride Stadium Of Anies Baswedan JIS Is Not Sure To Be Persija Jakarta's Cage, Is The Price An Obstacle?

The JIS Stadium, which is the pride of Anies Baswedan, is not necessarily the home of Persija Jakarta. (Photo: Instagram @aniesbaswedan)

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta has not yet decided which stadium will be their headquarters for Liga 1 2022/2023. In addition to the Bung Karno Main Stadium, the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) is reportedly also being considered as the home of the Kemayoran Tigers.

The president of the Persija Jakarta Club, Mohamad Prapanca, admitted that JIS could be the home of his team. However, it is not certain.

"We are finalizing the contract with PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro). This is a business to business (B2B) affair, so it has nothing to do with the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government as the owner of Jakpro," said Prapanca at JIS, Jakarta, Saturday 7 May.

According to Prapanca, one of the things that Persija and Jakpro are still discussing is the price. The management of Macan Kemayoran assessed that the financing for using JIS should not harm either party.

"For example, if it's expensive, it's because it has to cover Jakpro's return on investment, which will have to be sacrificed by The Jakmania (Persija supporters). We don't want that," said Prapanca.

"We have to reach a certain price that benefits all parties. That's what we are negotiating," he added.

In addition, he continued, Persija as a football team has a standard for a home stadium. For this matter, the JIS which was only used in April 2022 has not been verified by PSSI or PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB).

The examination is very vital because Persija is a professional club licensed by the AFC.

"If based on the verification that JIS meets the requirements as a home base, then JIS is ready to become Persija's cage," said Prapanca.

Should Persija and Jakpro talks stagnate, Prapanca emphasized that his party would propose the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, or Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi, as Persija's home options for the 2022-2023 season.

"When Liga 1 will start, which is planned for July 2022, we have to include the home stadium as an administrative requirement. If our negotiations with Jakpro haven't worked, I'll have to enter another stadium. It could be SUGBK or Patriot Candrabhaga because the two stadiums have met the verification requirements," said Prapanca.

Meanwhile, regarding the potential for JIS to become Persija's home in the Indonesian League 1 2022-2023, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan emphasized that the details of the agreement between Jakpro and Persija were still under discussion.

"Hopefully it will be finished soon. The important thing is that the spirit is the same," said Anies.