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PSSI, govt to form organizing committee for upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup
PSSI and FIFA are to announce the six cities selected to host the competition by early March.
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Elected PSSI chairperson Mochamad Iriawan (center) is flanked by two elected deputy chairmen, Cucu Soemantri (left) and Iwan Budianto, during the closing of the PSSI Extraordinary Congress (KLB) in Jakarta on Nov. 2, 2019. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he government and the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) plan to establish the Indonesia FIFA U-20 World Cup Organizing Committee (INAFOC) to accelerate the necessary preparations for the upcoming 2021 U-20 soccer World Cup.
“PSSI and FIFA will announce six cities selected to host the competition by early March,” PSSI chairman Mochammad Iriawan said in a statement on Friday.
He added that the association needed to announce the cities as soon as possible, as the Public Works and Housing Ministry needed certainty where work would be needed. The ministry is tasked with improving the selected cities’ infrastructure for the competition.
The U-20 soccer World Cup is to be held from May 23 to June 22 next year in six cities across Indonesia. The country was selected to host the games in October last year, beating contenders Brazil and Peru.
Read also: Jokowi offers 10 stadiums for Under-20 World Cup. FIFA wants four
The PSSI chairman said he had previously inspected six candidate cities, namely Bandung in West Java, Surakarta in Central Java, Yogyakarta, Surabaya in East Java, Palembang in South Sumatra and Pekanbaru in Riau.
Iriawan is also expected to inspect other cities and regions, namely Jakarta and West Java’s Bekasi, as well as Bogor and Bali.
Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said the ministry would keep coordinating with other ministries and institutions regarding the competition preparations.
"Our nation's name is at stake here because this is a rare opportunity. We might not be able to experience this again in 30 years," Zainudin said.
Regarding Indonesia’s national soccer team, Iriawan said the Indonesia U-20 squad would train in Germany or Spain. The team would also have friendly matches against teams from other countries.
