"The tickets are sold out of the quota of 40 thousand; The interest of Surabayans is extraordinary for football," PSSI Executive Committee (Exco) Arya Sinulingga said here on Sunday.
He thanked all residents of Surabaya and the surrounding areas who had bought tickets to see the match.
According to him, the sold-out tickets mean that national matches do not have to be held at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) in Jakarta, but can be in other cities where the residents have high interest.
"It does not have to be in GBK. In the future, it can be held in other cities because the interest to watch football is high," he said.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Palestinian national team players and officials who participated in the FIFA Matchday arrived in Surabaya on Sunday morning and were scheduled to carry out training.
"Their arrival to Surabaya this morning is a matter of pride for us, that Palestine (football national team) who ranks above us, is willing to be present in Indonesia," Sinulingga said.
He explained that the Palestinian national team, which nicknamed Al Fida'i, came to Indonesia with the main squad.
"We have to be proud and learn from them because they are above our national team, so we have to make the most of this match," he said.
Therefore, with all tickets sold at GBT, Sinulingga expected that the Indonesian national team can play maximally.
"Hopefully, our players can play optimally even though Palestine is above Indonesia," he said.
The Palestinian national team players are coached by Makram Daboub to face Indonesia in Surabaya.
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Translator: Abdul H, Naufal I, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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