Surabaya Football Stadium Controversy: U-17 World Cup Renovations Cause Match Uncertainty

Preparations for the Persebaya vs Arema FC match are half way underway. Thank God it went smoothly. Starting from coordination meetings with the Surabaya police to positive Bonek campaign actions. Everything so that the match at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium (GBT) on September 23 will be safe and smooth.

Suddenly a letter from the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) appeared stating that the GBT must be sterile until the end of the U-17 World Cup in early December. The reason is that GBT and also the other stadiums which are the venues for the U-17 World Cup must be renovated. What renovation? Unclear! When the renovations will start is also not stated in the letter. Strange!

The PUPR letter was dated September 15 and took effect immediately on the same day. In fact, Persis Solo can still host PSIS Semarang at the Manahan Stadium on September 16.

Christian, head of the FIFA group, had a discussion with Persebaya Director Candra Wahyudi and PSSI Deputy Chief Rati Tisha on August 29 at GBT. Christian expressed his desire to watch the Persebaya vs Arema match at GBT, because he wanted GBT to be in good condition when 40 thousand spectators attended.

The U-17 World Cup will be held from 10 November to 2 December 2023. GBT is one of the venues along with Manahan (Solo), Si Jalak Harupat (Bandung), and Jakarta International Stadium (JIS). This means that there are still more than 50 days until kick-off. Even if there is something that needs to be renovated, there is still enough time.

GBT was not chosen as the venue for the semifinals and final. However, the stadium that is the pride of Surabaya residents is the best among other U-17 World Cup venues. The results of the risk assessment at the National Police Headquarters on March 3 2023 gave a score of 89.02 percent. Very good! This means that GBT can become a match venue with 100 percent audience capacity.

FIFA’s team inspection on August 29 also confirmed GBT’s readiness as a venue for the U-17 World Cup. The presentation from security, media, hospitality and field quality aspects confirmed that GBT was fine. Very ready to be the host for the Indonesian national team competing in the U-17 World Cup. Even if additional renovations need to be made, they are minor. Just small things to tidy things up. It doesn’t take long and can be done when Persebaya is not playing at GBT.

So, why does GBT have to be sterilized two months before the kick-off of the U-17 World Cup? This is like forcing Persebaya to be expelled from Surabaya. The very sudden issuance of the PUPR letter caused the status of the Persebaya vs Arema FC match to be in limbo. In fact, once again, preparations are more than half way there. The match cannot be canceled immediately.