Determination Of JIS' Fate As A U-17 World Cup Venue Candidate, PSSI Chairman: Will Be Checked By FIFA

PSSI General Chair Erick Thohir. (Photo: Doc. PSSI)

JAKARTA - The Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) is one of the potential match venues for the 2023 U-17 World Cup. However, doubts arose because several points were deemed ineligible from the International Football Federation (FIFA).

Chairman of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), Erick Thohir said, FIFA will check the stadium's feasibility for the U-17 World Cup which is indeed standard, including JIS.

"FIFA will come to check which stadium is according to the standard first. Second, before FIFA arrives, we will check, we will see," said Erick Thohir at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Monday, July 3.

"This is waiting for the arrival of the FIFA team, so we will visit there first," he added.

Erick said that his party would not carry out renovations at JIS until there was a check from FIFA. PSSI will still wait for the results of the examination from FIFA before taking action.

"When playing renov, we don't even know yet? We were waiting for FIFA to come and then FIFA decided on which field was appropriate. Before FIFA arrived, we checked the field so it wasn't said 'there was no renovation', it wasn't like that," added Erick.

According to Erick, the government plans to renovate 22 soccer stadiums. "So don't focus on 1-2 stadiums," said Erick.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono said the PUPR Ministry would renovate 22 stadiums, but not including JIS.

"If JIS has not yet, maybe from DKI Jakarta, tomorrow morning we will meet the Minister of SOEs with the PJ Governor in my office, which was evaluated, finally there is a program, including the U-20 (stadium) which has been prepared, for JIS, we have not been assigned to that," said Basuki.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo said that JIS would still be optimized for its function.

"The title is not a JIS renovation, but a renovation of the revitalization of 22 stadiums in Indonesia. JIS is one that we will optimize, so this week PSSI wants to go there," said Dito.

On June 23, 2023, FIFA officially appointed Indonesia to host the U-17 World Cup which will be attended by 24 countries. The event will initially be held in Peru in 2021.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the U-17 World Cup to be shifted to 2023 and Peru failed to meet infrastructure readiness after four years of being declared the host.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) gave directions to the Chairman of PSSI to consider stadiums that could be used as locations for the 2023 U-17 World Cup matches in addition to the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium.

According to the President, the government and PSSI will look for a solution considering that the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 match will be held from November 10 to December 2, 2023 and coincides with Coldplay's music concert which is scheduled for November 15, 2023 at the GBK Senayan Main Stadium.

So far, FIFA has scheduled the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 to be held from November 10 to December 2 this year.