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Gibran plans football stadium for "replacement event"
Gibran, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said construction work on Manahan Stadium would continue, to prepare for what he called "a replacement event" for the FIFA U-20 World Cup tournament.
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Former Youth and Sports minister Zainudin Amali (right) is accompanied by Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir (left) and Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka (center), to inspect the progress of the construction of Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java, on March 12. Manahan Stadium was set to be one of the venues for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer matches in Indonesia. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
M
ayor of Surakarta, Central Java, Gibran Rakabuming Raka said renovation work for Manahan Stadium would continue despite the recent cancellation of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia as the city is gearing up for a new sporting event.
Gibran, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said construction work on the stadium would continue to prepare for what he called "a replacement event" for the U-20 tournament.
"Everything that we set up for the U-20 tournament would continue to be in place. All of it would be used for this replacement event," Gibran told reporters after a budget meeting in Surakarta's city hall on Tuesday.
Gibran was responding to speculation that Indonesia, after being removed by FIFA from hosting the U-20 FIFA World Cup, is now poised for staging the U-17 tournament, also organized by the world's governing body for football.
Speculation was rife that Indonesia could be the new host for the U-17 tournament, especially after FIFA stripped Peru of its hosting rights for the competition on Monday.
FIFA said the South American nation had failed to fulfill infrastructure commitments ahead of the tournament.
The governing body said the U-17 World Cup was still set to take place from Nov. 10 to Dec. 2, and that its Council would designate a new host.
