"I will coordinate with him (Head of PSSI) immediately. If it needs to be renovated, (then it will be) renovated," he stated at the ministry's office here on Thursday.
Hadimuljono affirmed that he would check the stadium after establishing coordination with Thohir.
According to the minister, the most crucial aspects of that stadium that should be addressed are the access and parking space. The Dewa band concert held earlier at JIS had shown that concertgoers faced difficulty in exiting the place, the minister pointed out.
"Later, we will evaluate. I want to coordinate with Head of PSSI Erick Thohir," he noted.
Minister Hadimuljono revealed that the stadiums prepared for the U-20 World Cup can be used to host the U-17 World Cup. He explained that as many as 26 stadiums were prepared for the U-20 World Cup, with six main ones located in Palembang, Jakarta, Solo, Bandung, Bali, and Surabaya.
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He affirmed that those stadiums are still fit to be used as an arena, given their infrastructure, such as lighting and grass, have met FIFA's standards. Should there be anything that needs to be tweaked, it would not be something major, he stated.
"Mr Head of PSSI said that FIFA will come again to check. I have no idea yet when FIFA will come to check. I will contact and coordinate with the head of PSSI first. Hopefully, now, I can come along to do the check," Minister Hadimuljono elaborated.
In April 2023, FIFA ended up revoking Peru's appointment as host of the U-17 World cup due to lacking infrastructure, although they have been appointed as the host since four years.
FIFA then appointed Indonesia to host the 2023 U-17 World Cup. The decision came after the FIFA council meeting at their headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The global tournament is scheduled from November 10 to December 2, 2023.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
