FIFA Honors Indonesia's PSSI with FIFA Forward Gold Award

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Chair Erick Thohir have signed a Host Country Agreement to establish the FIFA Regional Office for Southeast Asia and East Asia in Jakarta. This deal follows the FIFA Executive Summit 2025 held in Miami, Florida.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports will officially endorse this tripartite agreement, granting it legal status. "It was a pleasure, as always, to meet my friend and PSSI President Erick Thohir in Miami today. Indonesia has been making giant strides in football, and I congratulated President Thohir and his team for their excellent work, which resulted in them winning the FIFA Forward Gold Award for Asian FIFA Member Associations," Infantino said, as quoted from the official FIFA website on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

The launch of the FIFA Arena occurred in early 2025, following a sustainable development cooperation agreement facilitated by the FIFA Forward program. The implementation of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and FIFA Football for Schools initiatives is a testament to the commitment to football's growth in Indonesia.

"We took a significant step forward in establishing FIFA's growing presence in the region through our Jakarta office. A big thanks to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and PSSI for your continued spirit of collaboration with FIFA," Infantino added.

The official establishment of the FIFA Regional Office in Jakarta strengthens FIFA's footprint across Southeast Asia and East Asia. Thanks to US$5.4 million (approximately Rp88 billion) in funding from the FIFA Forward Program, the PSSI National Training Center has been successfully constructed. This substantial support from FIFA has also prompted the Indonesian government to provide additional financial backing.

This project has further earned PSSI one of the inaugural FIFA Forward Gold Awards for FIFA Member Associations in Asia. PSSI openly acknowledges the pivotal role of FIFA Forward funding in enhancing football infrastructure.

"The office is not only for Indonesia, but also it’s a hub for Southeast and East Asia comprising 21 MAs. It’s something that the FIFA President has always believed in: that growth in football shouldn’t just be in one region, it has to be in all regions," said Erick Thohir.

"I reported to him regarding the developments we have done in Indonesia. He’s happy with the progress because Indonesia had many issues before, but in the last two years – with the hard work of FIFA and our federation – we have cleared up some issues. Our national teams are now performing very well, so we believe FIFA has helped us a lot. Without FIFA, we cannot do it," he added.

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