Jakarta Mayor Reveals City Will Begin Construction Of $109M Stadium Next Year

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo said that the city will begin construction of a "world-class football stadium" for the capital’s Persija football club next year, according to Lenny Tristia Tambun of JAKARTA GLOBE. The Rp 1.05T ($109M) stadium will be constructed in BMW Park in Sunter, north Jakarta, and is "expected to near completion" in '14. The football club has been without its own stadium since its old Menteng location was demolished six years ago. Joko said, "We’ll begin preparations for the construction next year and expect to complete it in two years. It will be a world-class stadium." Joko said that the complex will be "constructed on a 6.6-hectare plot of land and is planned to include a park and a man-made lake." He added that the construction costs will be "spread across" the '13 and '14 city budgets. Joko said, "The stadium will be able to accommodate 50,000 people. We expect it to be an icon of Jakarta" (JAKARTA GLOBE, 11/26).