According to Thohir, President Widodo will join the opening ceremony after attending the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, which is being held from October 6–11, 2024.
He said that the PSSI Training Center's inauguration will also be marked by the signing of an "official agreement opening" document with FIFA, short for Federation Internationale de Football Association, the world football governing body.
The training center has been built on an area of around 34.5 hectares. It has eight fields and its dormitories can accommodate 138 persons, including players, coaches, and head coaches, Thohir informed.
Several supporting facilities such as physiotherapy, fitness centers, and healthcare have also prepared at the center, he added.
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He disclosed that to support the construction of the training center, FIFA provided a grant of US$5.6 million through the FIFA Forward Program.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian government disbursed Rp127.10 billion (US$8 million) in 2024 to cover the equipment and operating costs for the training center.
The budget will also be used to support other PSSI programs such as training camps for the men's and women's national teams, both within the country and abroad, activities and competitions such as the Indonesian League 3, and sharpening technical insights and football governance through training for coaches and referees, Thohir informed.
The PSSI Training Center will be used by national men's and women's teams of all age groups.
Earlier, President Widodo expressed the hope that the facility will help improve the quality of the national players competing at the Asian level.
"Do not keep losing. For now, we are starting to win each match. Our opponents should beware of us," he stressed at IKN in September 2023.
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Translator: Michael Siahaan, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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