JAKARTA (28 Sept 2013) – It was not only the Indonesian Under-19 team who reaped success at the recent AFF U19 Championship in Surabaya, but the FA of Indonesia (PSS) have also earned financial rewards of some USD 123,000 (IDR 1.4 miliar).
“The success of the AFF Under-19 Championship was really beyond our expectation,” said Joko Driyono, the general secretary of the PSSI. “When we decided to hosts this tournament, the reason was just to bring the two parties which were at odds previously back together. So we have to thank the people of Sidoarjo and Gresik for their support of this event.”
From the total of 13 matchdays at the Delta Stadium in Sidoarjo and the Petrokimia Stadium in Gresik, the PSSI recorded ticket sales of USD 280,000 (IDR 3.2 miliar)
The PSSI also earned through TV rights where from the group stage to the semi-finals and then on to the final, the national body earned a total of USD 263,000 (IDR 3 miliar).
They also received an operational grant from the AFF to the tune of USD 110,000 (IDR 1.2 miliar).
With the total cost of hosting the 11-team event for 17 days reaching USD 526,000 (IDR 6 miliar), then the PSSI would have turned a profit of USD 123,000 (IDR 1.4 miliar).
“We are indeed very happy with how things have turned out,” added Joko. “We were not looking to make a profit but rather we just wanted to make sure that Indonesian football is back to normalcy after the tumultuous times of the last two years.”
