Secretary of the ministry's Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure Essy Asiah stated in Jakarta on Friday that the proposal followed a meeting between Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo, Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Chairman Erick Thohir, and Depok Mayor Supian Suri.
Asiah explained that the Depok mayor has submitted a proposal and design concept for a stadium with a capacity of around 20 thousand spectators to the ministry, aiming to provide more suitable and representative sports facilities.
Currently, Depok only has a stadium with a capacity of around two thousand spectators, which is considered insufficient.
According to Asiah, the Depok city government has prepared land, formerly used for Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI), located near the toll road, which is ready to be developed into a new stadium.
In response to the proposal, the ministry stated that an in-depth study is needed, including consultation with PSSI.
"We also need to understand that building a very large stadium will require very high operational and maintenance costs," Asiah remarked.
The stadium construction plan remains under discussion. An official memorandum of understanding (MoU) will later be required between the PSSI chairman, the public works minister, and the youth and sports affairs minister.
As previously reported, the Public Works Ministry had renovated 21 stadiums used by League 1 and League 2 clubs.
In the future, the ministry and PSSI will collaborate to renovate or build new stadiums, including in Depok and Makassar in South Sulawesi.
Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo met with PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir and Depok Mayor Supian Suri at the ministry's office in Jakarta on Thursday.
During the meeting, Hanggodo agreed to the proposal to draft an MoU with PSSI to build a new stadium, rehabilitate sports facilities, and establish other cross-sector cooperation mechanisms.
The meeting also addressed the plan to build a new stadium in Depok City with a larger capacity that meets the standards for hosting national team matches.
Depok Mayor Supian Suri expressed hope that the plan could be realized soon to support the national team and local clubs.
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Translator: Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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