There will be six to eight football fields at the training center.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has confirmed that a training center for the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) will be built in the new capital (IKN) Nusantara in East Kalimantan.

"We will carry out a training center for PSSI in IKN," he informed during the groundbreaking of Nusantara Hotel in North Penajam Paser, East Kalimantan, on Thursday.

There will be six to eight football fields at the training center. The construction will take place for around six months and will be funded by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), he added.

According to President Widodo, the FIFA funding for the PSSI training center reflects international trust in the development of IKN and Indonesian football.

Moreover, the construction of the PSSI training center is important to support the development of the national football team.

"This means that the international community believes in us. For a really long time, we did not have a football training camp. How can we win a championship if we do not have a proper training camp? With this training camp, we can see the development of our football team in the next five to ten years," Widodo said.

The President further said he believes that with training and development, the national football team would emerge as the best in Southeast Asia, or even Asia.

"We cannot keep losing. We always lose every time we play. Now it is getting better, we are starting to win some matches," he added.

In the near future, groundbreaking for hospitals, shopping centers, the PSSI training center, and more hotels will be carried out at IKN Nusantara, he informed.

The new national capital's development has been planned on a long-term basis and is projected to be completed by 2045. Funding for building the IKN will mostly come from private cooperation and investment. The state budget will only cover 20 percent of the total funding need.

Related news: Ministry allocates US$26 million for FIFA U-17 World Cup
Related news: U-17 World Cup: PSSI gets FIFA nod for four venues








Translator: Indra Arief P, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023