Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia after FIFA U-17 World Cup Match between the National Teams of Indonesia and Ecuador, at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya City, East Java Province, November 10, 2023

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Of course, I am pleased, because the initial [result] of 1-1 means that we got one point despite the efforts to keep our goal from being scored again. That is the first one. Secondly, indeed, there is a gap in the rank. Ecuador is ranked at 38th and we are at 145th, so please also consider this. So, it is very good that our U-17 team went all out, very good. For the first appearance, I think it was very good. I did see that we were a bit nervous in the first 10 minutes, very nervous, but after that… But indeed….

Journalists
What are your expectations, sir? Going forward, sir?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Well, later with Panama, hopefully we’ll get three points. Okay, thank you.

Journalists
The opening, sir? What about the opening ceremony, sir?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Well, it was good. It was good. It was packed. It was good. I think it was different from other World Cups. I think it was good.

(FI/MMB)