Not a Football Fan, Finance Minister Purbaya Prefers Argentina Over Spain

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has confessed he is not a football fan, yet he is backing Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup. He made the remarks after meeting Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X at the Kepatihan Complex in Yogyakarta on Thursday (16/7/2026). “I am not a football fan, but I think I prefer Argentina,” Purbaya told reporters. While he does not follow football intensively, he assessed that the World Cup tournament brings positive economic impacts, including for Indonesia. He said the match momentum can boost economic activity, especially for small business owners. “For the economic impact, it is for small restaurants. So, on that day, people are busy watching together, or if they make Argentina shirts, Spanish ones will also sell,” he said. Nevertheless, Purbaya stressed that the economic impact of such international sporting events is only temporary. He asserted that national economic growth must be supported by strong domestic demand and government programmes that drive domestic economic activity. “What is important is ourselves, maintaining domestic demand is the most crucial thing. It can occasionally help, but only a little, not much. The important thing is that our programmes are good to keep pushing domestic economic growth,” he said.