TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received a blue jersey number 21 indicating that Indonesia would become the host country of the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between ASEAN and FIFA in Bangkok on Saturday.
At the ceremony taking place at Bangkok's Impact Exhibition and Convention Center, the other ASEAN leaders received blue jerseys number 9 and 10. On the back of the jerseys, they found their names on their own.
According to a representative of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the jerseys number 9 were given to the heads of government while number 10s were presented to the heads of state of this regional grouping's member countries.
As revealed in the press statement of the Indonesian Presidential Secretariat's media and information section that ANTARA received here on Sunday, the MoU was signed by ASEAN Secretary General Dato' Lim Jock Hoi and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The signing of the MoU, witnessed by all ASEAN leaders who are in Bangkok to attend the 35th ASEAN Summit and related summits, was aimed at developing football in Southeast Asia to boost social development and healthy life data-style among people in the region.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi highlighted four main points of the ASEAN-FIFA cooperation as stipulated in the MoU draft, namely promoting sport integrity, sport for development, FIFA football for school programs, and professional capacity building.
Regarding this FIFA's appointment, the South Sumatran provincial administration has conveyed its readiness to host the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
South Sumatera Governor Herman Deru affirmed that his administration had inked a letter of capability to become this U-20 World Cup host.
The governor will thereafter prepare an order for management of the Gelora Sriwijaya Jakabaring Stadium to prepare the necessary infrastructure. "The field, grass, and also safety requirement, as well as other technical conditions shall be prepared," he said.
