“I’m in no position to say if the Coldplay concert will be pushed back or not, but we will have to sit together [with the relevant parties] to figure out a solution,” PSSI chairman Erick Thohir, who is also the State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) minister, told a press conference on Saturday.

“Both events will be good for Indonesia, and we must not selfishly claim that” soccer takes priority and the concert organizers should stand down, he added.

In a surprise announcement on Friday evening, the world soccer governing body chose Indonesia to replace Peru as the host of this year’s U-17 youth soccer tournament in November.

FIFA revoked Peru’s right to host the U-17 on April 3 because of the country’s inability to complete its sound infrastructure in time for the tournament.

In March, FIFA stripped Indonesia of its hosting right to the 2023 U-20 World Cup, following widespread local resistance to the Israel team’s participation.

Twenty-four countries are set to compete in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and while the tournament’s qualifiers for Asian Football Confederation members are ongoing, Israel is out of the running because it failed to qualify for this year’s UEFA Under-17 Championship.

Erick explained that the PSSI had yet to discuss with FIFA which Indonesian city would host the tournament.

However, it is likely that the GBK Main Stadium will be included on the list of potential venues, as the stadium has been a fixture in many international sporting events, including the 2018 Asian Games. Most recently, it hosted two FIFA Matchday games this month, with the Indonesian national team squaring off against Palestine on June 14 and reigning World Cup champion Argentina on June 19.

Slated to run from Nov. 10 to Dec. 2, the U-17 World Cup is set to clash with the Coldplay concert, scheduled to take place on Nov. 15 at the renowned stadium, which can accommodate more than 77,000 spectators.

In preparing to host the popular British rock band’s inaugural performance in the country, promoter PK Entertainment has reportedly booked the stadium from Nov. 5 to 17. Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has also lobbied the band to add extra dates after a “ticket war” left many fans empty-handed.

JIS as GBK alternative?

Erick emphasized that Indonesia had other venues that could be readied for the U-17.

“Thankfully, we now have more than one [world-class] stadium. We have the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium [in Surabaya, East Java], and there’s Jakarta International Stadium,” he said.

Billed as a world-class stadium and the only one in the country with a retractable roof, Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, has held only a few exhibition matches since its inauguration last year and no regular soccer matches.

Though it was originally designed to replace Jakarta soccer team Persija’s old home, Lebak Bulus Stadium, the team has yet to move into the new stadium. Persija has instead opted to host its Liga 1 matches at the GBK Main Stadium, with Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi, West Java, as an alternative venue.

In addition, the PSSI said last September that JIS fell short of the world soccer body’s requirements and was thus unfit to host the Indonesia vs. Curacao FIFA Matchday game later that month.

JIS was also left out while Gelora Bung Karno included among the six stadiums originally set to host the doomed 2023 U-20 World Cup.

With the memory of FIFA pulling the plug on the U-20 still fresh, Erick and the PSSI are eager to get all their ducks in a row this time around.

“Any possible disagreements the regional administrations have must be raised with the central government. We don’t want our nation to be seen as unprepared,” Erick said on Saturday.

“I hope the regional administrations that have been picked by FIFA will honor their signed commitments, with those of us in the PSSI responsible for safeguarding the dignity of Indonesian soccer,” he said.

– Radhiyya Indra contributed to this story