T

he time for South Jakarta'€™s Lebak Bulus Stadium to be demolished to make way for the construction of a mass rapid transit (MRT) depot is still uncertain as its management has yet to receive instructions from the city administration to vacate the premises.

The head of Lebak Bulus Stadium'€™s operational unit, Noer Bassanto, said there had been no news of when the stadium would be demolished even though rumors about it had been circulating since 2010.

'€œIn March 2010, we sent notices to vacate the premises to tenants,'€ he said.

However, the management has resumed renting space at the stadium to 85 tenants on a monthly basis, with the understanding that they could be told to vacate the premises at any time, he said.

The head of Lebak Bulus Stadium management, Suratmin, said it had been necessary to rent out space because, as a municipal public service agency, it had to finance its own operational costs even though it received a subsidy from the city administration for electricity, water, telephone and Internet costs.

The stadium, with a capacity of 15,000 seats, is the only one owned by the city administration that meets international standards. The stadium, established in 1978, hosted the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Championship Qualification Group F matches in 2008. It was the headquarters of the Jakarta soccer club Persija from 2008 to 2010.

One other stadium that meets international standards in Jakarta is the Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, which is overseen by the central government.

City Youth and Sports Agency head Ratiyono said the stadium would be demolished as soon as the MRT'€™s developer decided to start construction of the depot, while the fate of the stadium'€™s employees would be the responsibility of his agency.

'€œCivil servants who currently work as stadium employees will be transferred to other departments of the agency, while employees who are not civil servants will be given severance pay,'€ Ratiyono said.

Persija media officer Viola Kurniawati said that because the stadium would be demolished and that Persija was no longer allowed to play there, the soccer club was temporarily using Bung Karno Stadium as its home base.

Persija has an emotional bond with Lebak Bulus Stadium because that is where its Jakmania fan club has an office.

Viola said that although Persija players and their fans felt a bond with Lebak Bulus Stadium, they were waiting for the establishment of their new home base.

She said the city administration had promised to establish a new soccer stadium for Persija at the Bersih, Manusiawi dan Berwibawa (BMW) Park in North Jakarta, which has a larger capacity than Lebak Bulus Stadium. (ask)