“This year’s President’s Cup is proof that football can become a unifying tool and must be built from the grassroots level,” he stated here on Thursday while commenting on the results of the prestigious tournament’s draw.
Thohir explained that the eighth edition of the tournament features representation from across the country and shows that national football development must be based on a tiered grassroots competition system.
The draw, held on Wednesday (May 13), divided the 64 clubs into 16 groups, from Group A to Group P. Matches will be held simultaneously in 16 cities from May 30 to June 11.
According to him, the President’s Cup is not merely a tournament but also a meeting point for clubs that have previously excelled in regional competitions at the district, city, and provincial levels.
The minister added that the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) aims to ensure football development begins from the lowest level while also improving club quality through stronger competitive benchmarks.
Champions from various local tournaments, he noted, will ultimately advance to the President’s Cup as a national stage for clubs that have long served as the backbone of youth football development in Indonesia.
“We are thinking about how football should not only be developed from the grassroots level, but we must also benchmark the quality of our clubs against those of other countries,” he said.
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Translator: Donny, Kenzu
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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