Prabowo Meets FIFA's Infantino Ahead FIFA ASEAN Cup Final - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto received FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir, at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday afternoon.
Minister Erick Thohir explained that Infantino and President Prabowo convened as two friends who had previously met on various international occasions.
"Indeed, President Gianni has been to Indonesia nearly four times, during the FIFA U-17 era and now during FIFA ASEAN [Cup]," said the minister ahead of the meeting.
Prabowo and Infantino previously met in New York and Paris, and today's meeting is a continuation of those previous talks.
At the Indonesian Presidential Palace, before meeting with President Prabowo, Infantino expressed his appreciation for the development of football in the ASEAN region and the hosting of the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia.
"So far, it has been really a great success involving the whole ASEAN region. Great host in Indonesia for the best teams of ASEAN," said Infantino.
According to Infantino, enthusiasm for football in the ASEAN region is very high. He saw that the quality of matches continues to improve, as evidenced by the high number of fans attending the stadiums and the competitive atmosphere.
"Football vibrates in this region. There is a lot of passion for football, and we can also see that the level of the game is excellent. Crowds are coming to the stadiums," he said.
Infanino also expressed his joy at being back in Indonesia and being involved in organizing a FIFA event in Indonesia. He considered the FIFA ASEAN Cup an important tournament, and Infantino hopes it can be continued with similar tournaments in the future.
"I am very happy to be back in Indonesia. I am also very happy to be hosting another FIFA event in Indonesia. This is not the first, but it is very important," said the FIFA President.
"This is the first FIFA ASEAN Cup. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. And I am also happy to meet again with the President, who also loves football and his country," he said.
