- Fifa.com
VIVA – Minister of Youth and Sports (Menpora), Zainudin Amali signaled that the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia could be watched live at the stadium. He emphasized that the decision was entirely on the side of international football, FIFA.
"People can go ahead. Only FIFA (determines)," Zainudin Amali said at the Jakarta Presidential Palace on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup, which will be postponed from 2021 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has proposed six stadiums for the match locations.
The six stadiums are the Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Jakabaring Stadium (Palembang, South Sumatra), Si Jalak Harupat Stadium (Bandung, West Java), Manahan Stadium (Solo, Central Java), Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium (Surabaya, East Java) and Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium (Gianyar, Bali).
Zainudin Amali admitted that he had received a positive response from FIFA representatives who visited the six stadiums directly.
"The representatives of FIFA saw a good Manahan, because it was near his training field, close to the airport too," Zainudin Amali remarked.
However, Minister Zainudin Amali stated that FIFA was still conducting inspections and had not yet made a decision on how many stadiums were accepted to host the U-20 World Cup matches later.
Previously, President Joko Widodo had also ordered the Menpora and related ministries to speed up preparations including ensuring the feasibility of the proposed stadiums to meet FIFA standards.
Menpora RI Zainudin Amali.
Little improvements need to be made at the six stadiums, given the delay in making the arenas available for more than two years for other sporting activities.
On the other side, the Minister of Youth and Sports emphasized that it has not yet been decided which stadium will be the location of the opening and closing ceremonies of the U-20 World Cup next year.
"We only give a place and we don't have any power. All of this is their property, FIFA. Every world championship, everything that regulates matches, regulates the referee is FIFA. Where the referee stays, where the players, FIFA decides," Zainudin Amali explained.
The 2023 U-20 World Cup is scheduled to take place on May 20 to June 11 and will be attended by 24 participating countries including Indonesia as the host.
So far, nine other countries have qualified for the 2023 U-20 World Cup finals, namely the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, the United States, England, France, Israel, Italy, and Slovakia.
