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Indonesia has successfully hosted numerous major sporting events, including soccer, without any issues.
he Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) secretary general Yunus Nusi confirmed that soccer’s world governing body FIFA would likely not respond to the Bahrain Soccer Association’s (BFA) request to move the venue for the upcoming Indonesia-Bahrain match.
The Group C match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers is scheduled for March 25 at the Bung Karno Sports Complex main stadium in Jakarta.
“I am confident that FIFA will not consider Bahrain's request. If they were, they would communicate with us regarding the feasibility of hosting the match,” Yunus said, as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.
Yunus pointed out that Indonesia had a good relationship with FIFA.
“FIFA usually consults with us and the government before every match, so it seems unlikely that they will respond to Bahrain's request,” Yunus added.
Indonesia successfully hosted various international tournaments under FIFA, such as the U-17 World Cup 2023, which went smoothly.
Indonesia also successfully organized various sporting multievents such as the 2023 World Beach Games in Bali.
In 2018, Indonesia hosted the quadrennial Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang without any issues. The quadrennial event is second only to the Olympics in term of the number of participating athletes.
Jakarta also hosts two badminton tournaments annually with participation from the world’s top shuttlers.
The BFA's request for a neutral location stemmed from security concerns following online threats and hacking on their official website. Bahrain expressed worries about safety, particularly after online harassment from Indonesian netizens.
This situation arose shortly after the 2-2 draw between Bahrain and Indonesia on Oct. 10, at the Bahrain National Stadium, which was marred by controversy over the officiating by Omani referee Ahmed Al Kaf.
Al Kaf allowed the match to continue until the 90+9 minute despite initially only indicating six minutes of extra time. During the prolonged extra time, Bahrain managed to score another goal, evening up the score.
The equalizer, however, was officially noted as taking place at 90+6 minute.
Bahraini players also played in an unsportsmanlike manner by faking injuries and performing dives to gain a free kick.
Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo emphasized that Bahrain's national team should not feel afraid to compete in Indonesia.
“I believe Indonesia is very safe,” Dito said in Jakarta on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.
He suggested that Indonesia should be awarded a victory by default if Bahrain still refuses to play in Jakarta in March 2025.
“We hope for that as well [a win by forfeit if they don't want to play in Indonesia],” Dito said.
The BFA has said that they were willing to take a 3-0 loss as a result of their decision to not play in Indonesia, rather than risking the safety and security of their players and officials.
Ahead of Indonesia’s match against China in Qingdao on Oct. 15, referee Omar Al Ali from the United Arab Emirates had to limit his Instagram account, worrying that he would also be the victim of attacks launched by Indonesian soccer fans.
However, despite losing to China 2-1, Indonesian soccer fans only had praises for the Emirati referee who was considered to have led the match in a fair manner.
Many Indonesian soccer fans even followed Al Ali’s Instagram account to show their support.
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