Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) President Erick Thohir highlighted the potential for cooperation with Australia after attending the 2023 International Football Federation Congress (FIFA) in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday.
The FIFA congress held in Rwanda has become an opportunity to establish cooperative relations with the football associations of various countries, he noted in a written statement on Friday.
The Minister of Public Enterprise (SOE) met with leaders of football associations from many countries, including Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
He noted that Indonesian football opens up the possibility of cooperation with any country, including Australia.
“After the FIFA Congress, I met with Football Federation Australia (FFA) President Chris Nikou,” he commented. Thohir gained important insights into professional football management through Nikou.
He was also impressed with Australia’s struggle to revive their football following the incident with the former Football Association and their failure to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
FIFA, set up to replace the old federation, has commenced a series of transformational actions in terms of competition management for football’s long-term roadmap under Australian Law.
“The discussion with Chris was very interesting. There was also an emotional closeness as we are both members of the Southeast Asian Football Association (AFF),” he commented. Australia has opened the door to football development cooperation in Indonesia. They believe that Indonesia is a country with great football potential, both in terms of industry and quality of competition, Thohir noted.
“We talked about the organizational cooperation between PSSI and the FFA as well as regional cooperation to develop football in Southeast Asia,” he said.