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Will Jakarta International Stadium ever get its moment in the sun?
Built on 26.5 hectares of land, the JIS has 82,000 seats, more than the capacity of GBK at 77,197. The multipurpose stadium is 73 meters tall with nine floors offering various facilities, including commercial space and parking.
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This picture shows the Jakarta International Stadium while under construction in Jakarta on Jan. 11, 2022.
(AFP/Adek Berry)
W
ith its state-of-the-art design and massive size, the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in North Jakarta has been designed as an alternative for the aging Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
It looks like the JIS could fit the bill. Built on 26.5 hectares of land, the stadium has 82,000 seats, more than the capacity of GBK at 77,197. Also, the multipurpose stadium is 73 meters tall with nine floors offering various facilities, including commercial space and parking.
And at a cost of Rp 4.5 trillion (US$312 million), mostly drawn from the city budget, the stadium was certainly meant to attract international attention.
Yet, when Indonesia was appointed by the world football governing body FIFA to host the Under-20 World Cup, and the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) unveiled the list of stadiums to host games in the tournament, the JIS was visibly absent.
It was passed up in favor of smaller and certainly less glamorous stadiums like Pakansari in Bogor, West Java and Manahan in Surakarta, Central Java. In the end, these smaller stadiums also failed to host the international tournament as FIFA decided to remove Indonesia as host for the U-20 World Cup following the controversy over participation from the Israeli national team.
Many have speculated that the reason the JIS did not appear on the list was simply because the stadium was a legacy project from former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, who currently runs as president with a platform of opposition to the policy of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration.
While other, smaller stadiums continue hosting regular soccer matches in the wake of the U-20 World Cup fiasco, the JIS venue remains underutilized with its field only used occasionally for mass prayer and as a concert ground for rock bands to perform.
