MARADONA TO GRACE EXHIBITION MATCH

The man, who scored a controversial ‘hand of god’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup, will play the exhibition match at the Stadium Utama Gelora Bung Karno Senayan which is currently undergoing refurbishment.

Indonesia FA head of foreign affairs Dali Tahir said that apart from Maradona, there will also be other former players from Argentina including those from the side which defeated England in that memorable match in 1986.

However, the names of the other players have yet to be confirmed at this point.

Maradona’s visit to these parts is to coincide with the celebration of four South East Asian countries in hosting the prestigious Asian Cup 2007.

Apart from Indonesia, the other countries involved in the hosting of the Asian Cup are Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia from July 7-29.

In the meantime, it was also announced that an inspection team will be visiting Jakarta to not only assess but also evaluate the renovation progress at the Senayan as well as other supporting facilities.

“Apart from Senayan, they will also be heading to Palembang to inspect the prevalent condition at the Stadium Jaka Baring,” added Dali.

Stadium Jaka Baring will be used for the final match in Group D between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain while the other game in the group between Indonesia and Korea Republic will be played at the Stadium Utama Gelora Bung Karno Senayan at the same time.

The stadium will also play host to the third and fourth placing match which is to be played on July 28 – a day before the final match of the tournament.