Seeing breakout teenage stars like Phil Foden and Ansu Fati strut their stuff at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium may soon become a reality for us in Indonesia, as the soccer-obsessed nation has officially been named the host of the 2021 U-20 (Under 20) World Cup.
The news was shared by President Joko Widodo on Twitter this afternoon.
Kabar baik hari ini dari FIFA Council Meeting di Shanghai: Indonesia terpilih jadi tuan rumah kejuaraan sepak bola Piala Dunia U20 tahun 2021.
Menyambut ajang besar ini, Indonesia menyiapkan sepuluh stadion, dari Gelora Bung Karno, Pakansari (Bogor), sampai Manahan (Solo). pic.twitter.com/ILFWQNMO4b
— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) October 24, 2019
“Good news from the FIFA Council Meeting in Shanghai: Indonesia has been chosen to host the 2012 U-20 World Cup. To anticipate this grand event, Indonesia has prepared 10 stadiums including [Jakarta’s] Gelora Bung Karno, Pakansari (Bogor), and Manahan (Solo),” Jokowi wrote in the tweet, which also includes the official logo of the tournament.
Indonesia beat out bids from Brazil and Peru to win hosting rights for the biennial tournament. Two other ASEAN nations, namely Thailand and Myanmar, were once in contention but had recently dropped out of the bidding process.
Success of hosting the U-20 World Cup may better Indonesia’s chances of seeing the 2034 World Cup be played on its shores. Earlier this year, Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha announced that all 10 ASEAN member countries would be submitting a joint bid for sport’s biggest quadrennial event in 15 years’ time.
It’s hard to express in words how excited we at soccer-obsessed Coconuts Jakarta are over the news. So it’s only apt that we share this compilation of goals from youth Indonesian players — who may well star at the 2012 U-20 World Cup — featuring legendary soccer commentator Valentino Simanjuntak exclaiming his gibberish catchphrase “Jebret!” for every goal scored and save made.
Read also: Indonesian Scouse: Understanding the country’s fascination with Liverpool FC
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