TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi inaugurated the permanent office of the International Football Federation (FIFA) in Jakarta today, Friday, Nov. 10.

"FIFA's decision to establish a permanent office as its Asia hub in Jakarta proves that Indonesia has a great potential to develop and advance its football scene at the global level," Jokowi said.

Jokowi stressed to FIFA's president Gianni Infantino that the government is committed to supporting and facilitating FIFA in improving Indonesia's football integrity and quality.

The president also expressed Indonesia's readiness to cooperate with FIFA to develop adequate sports infrastructure and train Indonesia's young talents. The government is also planning to facilitate knowledge transfer between Indonesia and the global football community.

"In this opportunity, I would like to thank FIFA for its trust, commitment, and its immense support for Indonesia's football," he said.

"Hopefully, this will be the first step of holding many more FIFA events in Indonesia," he added.

Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino mentioned that FIFA's decision to open its office in Jakarta is painted by the Kanjuruhan tragedy in its background. "When I visited last year after the tragic incident, we decided to increase FIFA's presence in the country because [Indonesia] deserves so," Gianni said.

With FIFA opening an office in Jakarta, the federation could support Indonesia more intensively by providing various football experts, including in safety and security, not only for Indonesia but all of Southeast Asia.

"All of it will be based in Jakarta and the results will be apparent soon," Gianni concluded.

ANTARA