Erick Makes Sure the U-17 World Cup Semifinals and Finals Will Be Held in Solo

Solo, Beritasatu.com – PSSI Chairman, Erick Thohir, announced that the city of Solo has been chosen as the host for the semifinals and final of the 2023 U-17 World Cup Championship which will be held in November at the Manahan Stadium, Solo, Central Java.

“For historical reasons, Solo was chosen as the venue for the semifinals and final of the U-17 World Cup Championship. History records that the first PON in Indonesia was held in this city, and who knows new history will be created in football as well,” said Erick Thohir while attending the U-17 National Team player selection event at the Sriwedari Solo Stadium on Sunday (23/7/2023).

Even though Solo City has been trusted as the host, Erick Thohir stressed that this burden should not be placed on the players. He hopes that the players can play wholeheartedly as they have shown in the previous SEA Games National Team matches, which proves their abilities as the young generation of Indonesia.

Erick is optimistic that with the right guidance and opportunities, the players will be able to rise and make new history in the course of Indonesian football.

The selection of U-17 national team players has been carried out in seven cities, namely Jakarta, Bandung, Palembang, Denpasar, Solo, Banjarmasin, as well as one other city in Kalimantan. Erick Thohir stated that the purpose of this selection was to provide as many opportunities as possible for Indonesian football talents, not only for this year’s U-17 World Cup Championship, but also for preparation for the U-20 World Cup in 2025.

In addition, he also announced that his party had signed an agreement with Frank Wormuth, a coach from Germany, who would become a co-coach with Indra Syafri.

Frank Wormuth will accompany the U-17 National Team in preparation, including accompanying them in Germany. This experienced trainer has a background as an instructor for PSSI Germany for 10 years, coach for the German U-20 national team for 6 years, and the last three years in the Dutch league one.

Erick Thohir also revealed that FIFA will inspect the proposed stadium facilities for the U-17 World Cup during his visit to Indonesia later this month. Even though the city of Solo was previously deemed ready to host the U-20 World Cup, FIFA will conduct a re-check.

The selection of U-17 national team players which was held at the Sriwedari Stadium in Solo involved 280 players, the majority from football schools in the Greater Solo area. Solo is one of 12 cities where the U-17 national team players were selected.

Erick Thohir said that although the U-16 National Team had been formed through the U-16 AFF, the recruitment of talents from 12 cities was carried out to form a more resilient team. Even though there is currently no competition, Erick continues to believe that with the right coaching, Indonesian football talent will continue to develop.

The training will be carried out over a period of four months, and talents from the 12 cities will continue to be included in the selection process. Erick also announced that the diaspora, or players who play abroad, will also be included in the national team selection so that all of Indonesia’s best talents will be given the opportunity to join.

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