PSSI proposes Jakarta, Surakarta for Tiger Cup

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) has proposed Surakarta, Central Java, and Jakarta as the venue for the upcoming Tiger Cup, according to association chairman Agum Gumelar.

The Tiger Cup, a biennial soccer tournament featuring the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will be jointly hosted by Singapore and Indonesia in December.

"The ASEAN Football Federation will check the stadiums in the two cities in the immediate future," Agum said here on Wednesday as quoted by Antara here on Wednesday.

The choice of Manahan Stadium in Surakarta as an alternative venue to Jakarta, according to the retired four-star Army general, is aimed at encouraging soccer development outside of the capital.

The tournament had been scheduled for August, but was put back because it would have clashed with the preliminary round of the Asian's Champions League.

Agum said Indonesia should benefit from the postponement because the national team, now coached by Bulgarian Ivan Kolev, would have more time to prepare.

However, he did not mention that the postponement also meant that PSSI had to revise its regular roster.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam