TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir confirmed that 70 representatives from the world football governing body FIFA would take over the supervision of the 2023 U-17 World Cup.

“FIFA will send 70 people here [to Indonesia] from October 15,” Erick said during a press conference at the media center of the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Tuesday, Oct. 10.

He said the presence of 70 FIFA representatives was proof of their strong commitment to ensuring that the international youth tournament runs smoothly and in accordance with international standards. They will be involved in various aspects of supervision, including the facility, match conduct, and rule enforcement.

Erick, who is seen as a potential candidate for vice presidency in the upcoming election, said that dozens of FIFA representatives would be stationed in the four regions where the matches will be played.

The 2023 U-17 World Cup is scheduled to be held from November 10 to December 2, 2023, in four stadiums, namely Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in North Jakarta, Si Jalak Harupat Stadium (SJH) in Bandung Regency, Manahan Stadium Solo, and Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium (GBT) in Surabaya.

“Starting October 27, FIFA will take over some of the stadium supervision together with our local committee,” said Erick who also serves as SOE Minister.

Erick revealed that preparations for the U-17 World Cup are progressing well. All parties continue to work hard to ensure that the facilities and services for the tournament run well.

With strong support from FIFA and solid cooperation between all relevant parties, Erick believed that Indonesia would be a successful host for the U-17 World Cup.

“Based on FIFA's statement, they see that our standards are higher than those of the countries that usually host the U-17 World Cup. That is what FIFA says, not me. The hotel facilities, food, transportation, training facilities, and stadiums are above average standards. We are all optimistic that this will go well,” Erick Thohir concluded.

ANTARA

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