Regarding the Indonesian football league Liga 1 and 2 that will be resumed from October 1, 2020, the Indonesian Police did not issue the crowd permission.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Police has confirmed that it has not allowed stadiums to host crowds of spectators during the Indonesian football leagues Liga 1 and Liga 2, which will be resumed from October 1 this year.

"Regarding the Indonesian football league Liga 1 and 2 that will be resumed from October 1, 2020, the Indonesian Police did not issue the crowd permission," a spokesperson for the Indonesian Police, Insp. Gen Argo Yuwono, said here on Tuesday.

The police has provided three reasons for not allowing fans to attend professional football matches, he added.

First, the COVID-19 infection rate has remained high in Indonesia. "The number of infections has continued to increase,” Yuwono noted.

Second, the police had earlier stated that permission would not be granted at all levels for gatherings involving crowds, he said.

Third, the police and the military are currently focusing on Operation Justice to support local governments in the implementation of COVID-19 health protocols, he pointed out.

"The Indonesian Police along with the Indonesian Military and all stakeholders are focusing on efforts to support the government in Operation Justice," Yuwono said.

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) plans to hold the Liga 1 competition from October 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021, in Java Island, after months of delay owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, the Liga 2 competition will be held from October 17 this year.

Liga 1 was halted in mid-March just three weeks into the current season after the country reported its first COVID-19 cases.

Earlier in September, head of the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling, Doni Monardo, had affirmed that all sports competitions scheduled for resumption amidst the COVID-19 pandemic must be held without spectators to prevent the emergence of new coronavirus clusters.

"All football and basketball competitions will be held without spectators. I am optimistic that organizers would comply with the policy," Monardo, concurrently head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), had stated.

The Indonesian Football Association, Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), and BNPB inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ensuring safe sports competitions amid COVID-19 on Thursday.

The MoU is part of the preparations for holding Indonesia's professional football competitions Liga 1 and Liga 2, and the IBL competition in October.

Related news: Sports competitions to resume, albeit without spectators: task force
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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