Jakarta, IO – PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir calls on all parties to support the preparations for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup Finals which are going to be held in 100 days in November in Jakarta.
The remaining time, according to Erick, is very short considering there are various requirements from FIFA that must be fulfilled.
“Today, I met with (representatives) of FIFA. In this discussion, we tried to offer several suggestions,” Erick said, Wednesday (2/8).
In this meeting with FIFA, Erick suggested that the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup rounds be held in Jakarta for 2 groups, Bandung 2 groups, Surakarta 1 group, and Surabaya 1 group.
“We also proposed Jakarta as the venue. The semifinals and finals will be held in Surakarta. And for that there are several improvements that are being pushed by FIFA,” said Erick.
On PSSI’s proposal, FIFA also asked for qualified training facilities where in Jakarta it was necessary to add two training fields and one more practice field in Bandung.
Erick noted that FIFA also paid attention to all stadiums, especially on the condition of the grass. Thus, pitch maintenance should be improved.
To ensure this, FIFA will send an even bigger team on August 15-26. One part of it is a team of grass experts from Australia.
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“There are eight proposed stadiums, six of which have been reviewed for the U-20. From the budget agreement it seems to have narrowed down to four stadiums, so there are one city and two groups. And, FIFA believes, four stadiums are enough,” said Erick.
To complete all these preparations, Erick said, he would hold talks with the Public Works and Housing Ministry, the Jakarta Provincial Administration, the regional governments and the Youth and Sports Ministry. (rr)