Bandung ready to host Champions Cup quarters
Bandung ready to host Champions Cup quarters
BANDUNG (JP): The Asian Football Confederation found yesterday
no reasons to worry about letting Persib Bandung host the Asia
Club Championship Group East quarterfinals here.
AFC's envoys led by R. Indran completed their second
inspection of Bandung's Siliwangi stadium with a sigh of relief
yesterday. They hinted that Persib need only wait for formal
approval from AFC tomorrow.
"I am very pleased to see what Persib has done to improve the
facilities at the stadium," Indran told reporters after his visit
to the 25,000-seat stadium.
"Everything looks okay as far as I see. But I ask Persib to
continue their works and finish them as soon as possible," Indran
said.
The three-man team will present their report to AFC Secretary-
General Peter Velappan.
Indran and his colleagues from AFC's Marketing Limited, Nick
V. Mould and Ian Mathie, re-checked the locker rooms, bathrooms,
players' benches, grandstand, the turf on the playing field, the
secretariat office and press center.
Indran did not recommended the stadium for hosting the
quarterfinals following his initial trip 10 days ago. He
suggested instead that AFC hold the competition at Jakarta's
Senayan stadium.
AFC prompted the re-inspection after Persib decided to hand
over the organization of the matches to the All-Indonesia
Football Association.
Indran also visited three other stadiums, ITB, Sangkuriang and
Pusdikpom, which will accommodate training sessions of the
visiting teams.
A Persib official, Dwi Koernianto, complained that AFC has yet
to disburse its financial aid commitment worth US$50,000. "We can
use the money for the reconstruction project of the stadium," he
said.
As the host, Persib will receive the money from AFC in
exchange for broadcasting rights for the competition.
Schedule
Persib, Japan's champion Verdy Kawasaki, South Korean champion
Ilhwa Chunma and Cup holder Thai Farmers will play round robin
matches in the quarterfinals, scheduled for Nov. 26 to Nov. 30.
The top two teams will qualify for the semifinals against their
counterparts from the West Group.
Persib will open its campaign against Verdy which will bank on
its second stringers next Sunday. In the earlier match of the
day, Ilhwa will take on Thai Farmers.
Title holders Thais will miss their five key players who are
preparing for the 18th Southeast Asian Games.
The Japanese are expected to become the first team to arrive
in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon. The Thais are scheduled to land
a few hours later but, unlike Verdy, they will go directly to
Bandung.
The quarterfinal line-up in the West Group was completed on
Sunday as Qatar's Al Arabi beat Iraq's Zawra and Saipa of Iran
overcame Al Samiya of Kuwait.
Last year's losing finalist Al Arabi and Saipa will join
Kopetdag of Turkmenistan and host Al Nasr of Saudi Arabia in
round-robin matches held in Riyadh, starting tomorrow. (pet/amd)