BRI Sponsors League 1 Again, Erick Thohir: SME Economic Turnover Of IDR 3 Trillion

President Director of BRI Sunarso. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir supports BRI, which again sponsors the title of the highest football competition in Indonesia, Liga 1. In addition to improving the quality of national football both in terms of achievement and business.

Erick admitted that the Liga 1 business has proven to be able to drive small and medium-sized businesses with a total value of IDR 3 trillion. Therefore, Erick also appreciates the performance of BRI which continues to be able to become a supporting pillar for the growth of SMEs. Because, in League 1 alone, there are tens of thousands of SMEs that are able to live and develop with the support of BRI.

"This is in line with BRI's mission as a financial institution that encourages and grows SMEs. Because behind Liga 1 itself there are many derivatives of SMEs that sell food, merchandise, and so on. The economic turnover of these SMEs reaches Rp 3 trillion," he said in Jakarta. , Monday, July 25.

Not only from an economic perspective, Erick believes that the implementation of the Liga 1 competition will further encourage the advancement of national football achievements. Football as a people's sport, said Erick, should be the pride of the nation on the international stage. And from quality competition will be born a national team that excels at the international level.

"It is the hope of all Indonesian people to see our national team excel. Thank God with healthy competition we can see gradual improvements in achievement. Although there is still much that needs to be improved for the advancement of our football," said Erick.

Erick also advised all elements of national football to welcome the League 1 title by remaining disciplined regarding health protocols. By allowing supporters to return to the stadium, it is hoped that this policy will be welcomed by supporters while remaining vigilant regarding the prevention of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Deputy President Director of BRI Catur Budi Harto said that football fans' interest in BRI Liga 1 was getting more intense as the competition started. Moreover, football lovers can now watch the match live at the stadium.

"Currently, thank God, the pandemic has been more controlled so that social and economic activities of the community have started to recover, so that currently the match can be attended directly by supporters in stages as much as 75 percent of the stadium capacity," said Chess.

Catur explained the background and considerations, why BRI was again the Title Sponsor of BRI Liga I for the 2022-2023 season. First, from an economic perspective, BRI wants to continue to revive the people's economic chain through the national football industry. According to research by LPEM FEB UI, this competition can drive the economy of IDR 3 trillion.

"The implementation of the BRI League I last season also contributed to Indonesia's economic growth or GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the first quarter of 2022 which was able to grow 5.01 percent YoY," he said.

In addition to economic factors, said Chess, League 1 is an effective and efficient means of promotion. In addition, BRI also wants to fully contribute to supporting national football achievements.