Indonesia's seriousness about improving football management in the country is also supported by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) that has opened an office in Jakarta as a hub for the Asian region.
"We have been talking about the Indonesian football transformation for a year now, and we are serious, we are committed to starting, and this is fully supported by (FIFA) President Gianni (Infantino) with the FIFA office in Jakarta," Jokowi remarked here on Friday.
He made the statement after inaugurating the opening of the FIFA office in Jakarta.
With FIFA's presence in Jakarta, the president is optimistic that the federation would assist Indonesia in its football transformation, especially in improving match management, security management, and refereeing governance.
"All will be given support and guidance by FIFA. I think we really have started a new chapter for Indonesia's football," he remarked.
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Along with improving football governance and management supported by FIFA, Jokowi explained that Indonesia had improved refereeing affairs and revitalized 30 football stadiums.
He expressed gratitude to FIFA for its contribution to the development of Indonesia's football and its trust in Indonesia to host the U-17 World Cup.
According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Indonesia is the right and strategic location for FIFA that is keen to build a base for Southeast Asian and East Asian regions.
In addition to opening an office in Jakarta, FIFA will build a national training center in the new capital city Nusantara in East Kalimantan.
The training center will be built on an area of 34.5 hectares, with funding reaching Rp85.6 billion (around US$5.45 million) from FIFA Forward and Rp95 billion (around US$6.05 million) from Indonesia's state budget.
The FIFA president underscored that FIFA training centers and academies are investments for the future.
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Translator: Yashinta Difa, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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