The Indonesian Government has revealed plans to pump IDR 2.87 trillion (US$175 million) into improving 21 football stadia across the country.
Asian Leisure said Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati revealed that the funding will be boosted by further cash from the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI).
The money will be put towards improving venues in Aceh, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Banten, West Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java and South Sulawesi.
Central Jakarta (Indonesia)-based the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) is the governing body of football in Indonesia. It was founded on April 19th, 1930. The PSSI joined FIFA in 1952 and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954.
The biggest funding package is for the under-construction North Sumatra Main Stadium in Medan, which will receive around a fifth of the total budget.
The 25,000-capacity venue, in the larger North Sumatra Sports Centre is one of those that will host next month’s quadrennial National Sports Week.
The 45,000-capacity Harapan Bangsa Stadium, another major stadium for National Sports Week, will receive around IDR 481 billion (US$30 million) while the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang Regency will receive a similar amout for its rebuilding project following the 2022 disaster that saw 135 killed in a crowd stampede.
Further funding will be used for equipment and operations of the PSSI Training Center in the Indonesian Capital City (IKN), the implementation of training camps and tournaments for the Indonesian women’s and men’s national teams both domestically and internationally, events and competitions.
Indonesia is being assisted in its bid to improve stadium standards through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with FIFA in 2023. The agreement was signed during the FIFA U-17 World Cup when Indonesia hosted its first FIFA tournament in late 2023.
In May, an expert FIFA delegation visited and evaluated eight stadiums across Indonesia as part of the MOU. FIFA is collaborating with PSSI to improve stadium infrastructure, safety and security standards across Indonesia.
The visit extensively covered the following eight stadiums:
- Sumatera Utara Main Stadium;
- The 20,000-capacity Teladan Stadium in Medan;
- The 30,000-capacity Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi;
- The 30,000-capacity Wibawa Mukti Stadium in Bekasi Regency;
- The 38,000-capacity Kanjuruhan Stadium in Kepanjen;
- The 35,000-capacity Gelora Delta Sidoarjo Stadium in Sidoarjo;
- The 40,000-capacity Gelora Joko Samudro Stadium in Kebomas; and
- The 7,600-capacity Segiri Stadium in Samarinda.
These stadiums in Indonesia are being renovated by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing and the visit was part of a larger series of inspections of these projects which FIFA is supporting with its specialized knowledge and expertise through FIFA’s Stadium and Infrastructure Consultant.
The visit focused on four key areas: Stadium ingress and egress, access, the evacuation route, and spectator circulation flow. Following the visit, FIFA will prepare an assessment report as well as recommendations to be shared with the PSSI and the local authorities.
Among the stadiums visited was the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang Regency, East Java, where on October 1st, 2022 – according to an official Government report – violent events at a football match resulted in at least 132 fatalities, seriously injuring 96 and left another 484 with moderate and minor injuries.
Asian Leisure further stated that the latest funding follows Indonesian President Joko Widodo having last week called for a revitalisation of stadiums in the country.
Commenting on President Widodo’s calls, Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo advised “in the future, (the) President … asks for a better utilisation of the stadium by the clubs.
“So usually the stadiums are managed by the local government. In the future, it will be developed to be managed by the private sector, namely the club occupies the stadium.”
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