September 2, 2025 | 08:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The international friendly matches on FIFA Matchday in September 2025 will not be canceled despite the widespread protests calling for the dissolution of parliament in various Indonesian cities. The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has stated that the Indonesian national team will continue to host the matches in Surabaya, East Java, as scheduled.
"So far, it's still on schedule. So there are no changes," said the manager of the Indonesian national team, Sumardji, when contacted by Tempo via phone on Sunday night, August 31, 2025.
According to Sumardji, PSSI is closely monitoring the development of protests in various places, including Surabaya. As of now, there have been no changes to the match schedule. "Hopefully the situation will improve because football is meant to strengthen national unity," said the PSSI Executive Committee member.
Indonesians across various cities are taking to the streets to protest against DPR and police violence. Protests are not only happening in Jakarta, but have spread to several other cities, namely Bandung, Yogyakarta, Makassar, West Nusa Tenggara, and Surabaya.
In Surabaya, demonstrations occurred at the Surabaya Police Headquarters on Saturday, August 30, 2025, which resulted in a riot. The demonstration was attended by various segments of the public. There were instances of bottle-throwing and the dispersal of the crowd by the police using tear gas and water cannons.
The two international friendly matches against Taiwan and Lebanon in the FIFA Matchday will be held at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya on September 5 and 8, 2025, respectively. The matches are part of the preparation for the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Taiwan will be the opponent of the Young Garuda squad in the friendly match, replacing Kuwait, which recently canceled the scheduled match.
For these friendly matches, the coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert, has called up 27 players. They are scheduled to gather in Surabaya on September 1.
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