Despite its lack of success on the field, the world's most populous Muslim nation would be an ideal host and a serious rival to world football's heavyweights, said Nugraha Besoes, general secretary of the country's football federation.
"This bid is no joke, we've been planning it for a long time - this is a serious bid," Besoes told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Asian Football Confederation's annual congress.
...He said Indonesia had gained valuable experience as a co-host of the 2007 Asian Cup when packed stadiums and fights for match tickets showed there was massive support among the country's 226 million people.
"There have been some negative signals from outside Indonesia about this bid, doubting we can be hosts, but people are crazy about football here," he said.
Australia, England, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United States have bid for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, along with two joint proposals from Belgium and the Netherlands and Spain and Portugal.
South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar have confirmed their interest in hosting the 2022 finals.
The Indonesian bid pledges seven new stadiums and major upgrades to five existing venues, with matches held in 11 different cities across the sprawling archipelago, including in Banda Aceh, a region once roiled by decades of conflict.
Source:
World Cup 2022 bid no joke, insists Indonesia
Reuters
May 8, 2009
