The Best Host Is Indonesia

Friday, 25 October 2024 – 16:00 WIB

Jakarta – Member of the PSSI Executive Committee, Arya Sinulingga, revealed that the match between the Indonesian National Team vs the Japanese National Team in the third round of Group C of the 2026 World Cup Qualification for the Asia Zone has been postponed.

Initially the match schedule for the Indonesian National Team vs Japanese National Team was to be held on November 14 2024. However, there was a change from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) which pushed it back a day to November 15 2024.

Arya Sinulingga admitted that PSSI accepted this decision and complied with the AFC. He said this was a sign that Indonesia was the best host.

“We’re fine. The best host is Indonesia. We just accept it,” said Arya Sinulingga when speaking on the PSSI YouTube channel.

Arya said that the postponement of the match schedule would not harm Indonesia. That’s why PSSI did not submit an objection to the decision from the AFC.

“We continue to play here, in Indonesia. So it doesn’t matter as long as we remain the hosts. We have no complaints,” he said.

The issue of Indonesia hosting the third round match of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian Zone has recently been in the spotlight. Because the Bahrain National Team asked the AFC to hold the match at a neutral venue.

The Bahrain Football Federation (BFA) made the request because of the many threats in cyberspace to the safety of team members. This threat emerged after the Indonesian National Team played at the Bahrain National Team headquarters in mid-October 2024.

In this match, the referee who led the match was considered detrimental to the Indonesian national team. Football fans in the country then vented their frustration via social media, and the Bahrain National Team was affected.