JAKARTA, INDONESIANPOST.COM – The Indonesian Football Association, or PSSI, has dropped a plan to debut the newly-built Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in the upcoming match against Curacao, citing safety concerns.
The decision was taken after PSSI’s Infrastructure Safety and Security Team inspected the stadium in North Jakarta and reported some issues that disqualify JIS from hosting the international match.
The stadium has only one entrance which will make it very difficult to handle the influx of spectators at a time, PSSI Secretary-General Yunus Nusi said on Sunday, quoting reports from the inspection team.
The perimeter fence at the west concourse is deemed not strong enough, while the east concourse is still under construction, he added.
“The ceiling at the drop-off area is too low for the team buses to get through, so we risk leaving home and visiting players at a public area — not at the designated place. Things like this will get FIFA to take a note,” Yunus said, referring to the world football governing body.
The inspection team also found that the parking space is too small for a stadium capable of accommodating up to 80,000 people. According to Yunus, the JIS parking space can house only 800 cars at the maximum.
His remarks invited a strong response from municipally-owned construction company Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), which built the stadium.
The company tweeted that the JIS is built “according to FIFA standards” and involves world-class consultants with experience in building some of the world’s best stadiums.
The JIS is designed by British engineering consultant Buro Happold, which built the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and designed several stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to Jakpro.
“The JIS bears resemblance to European stadiums in terms of architectural design and facilities,” said Arry Wibowo, a Jakpro director in charge of the JIS construction.
Indonesia will host Curacao, an island nation in South America, on FIFA Match Day on Sept. 24 and 27. The first match will take place in the West Java capital of Bandung, while the venue for the second match will be decided between the Patriot Stadium in Bekasi and the Pakansari Stadium in Bogor.
The construction of JIS, which has a retractable roof, began three years ago and was completed in July. (JakartaGlobe/Theidnpost)