Chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Erick Thohir and Chairman of the President Cup Committee, Maruarar Sirait, announced the preparation for the President Cup Fixtures to the media after meeting with President Jokowi at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (07/10). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Muchlis Jr)
Chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Erick Thohir, announced preparations for the pre-season football tournament, the President Cup, during his meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. In his statement, Erick confirmed that the President Cup would be reconvened as a warm-up event before the start of the “Liga 1” competition.
“God willing, the opening will be on the 19th in West Java, in Bandung. Mr. President will attend, and hopefully this will improve the enthusiasm of the public as they are currently expecting improvements in the league. We will utilize the President Cup tournament as a trial event,” said Erick.
During the meeting, Erick also revealed several important updates on the “Liga 1” competition. He mentioned that Liga 1 will feature several innovations in the next season, including the full implementation of the VAR (video assistant referee) system and an increase in the quota of foreign players.
“The VAR system will be fully operational. Also, there will be 8 foreign players in Liga 1, consisting of 6 players on the pitch and 2 as substitutes. Additionally, there’s a requirement to play all national team players in their respective clubs, and we also hope to have some foreign referees officiating matches,” explained Erick.
During the same occasion, Chairman of the President Cup Committee, Maruarar Sirait, added that the President Cup is expected to serve as a model for transparency in sports financial management. “The funding will be neither from state-owned enterprises, the state budget, nor regional budgets. Instead, everything will come from sponsors, entirely from the private sector as we aim to build the sports industry.”
“Furthermore, it will be audited, as it has been audited by PwC, which is very credible and has international standards, thus enhancing Indonesia’s credibility in sports,” Maruarar added.
Both Erick and Maruarar emphasized that the upcoming President Cup and Liga 1 are part of PSSI’s efforts to enhance the quality of Indonesian football. Erick also mentioned that the champion of the President Cup will receive a prize of Rp5 billion, indicating a fervent belief from its sponsors in the development of football in the country. (BPMI/AIT) (AY/LW)
