Indonesia look to boost power

Technicians are still working to boost the power capacity at Indonesia’s Soviet-era soccer stadium after a blackout stopped play between South Korea and Saudi Arabia in Wednesday night’s Asian Cup match.

“It was embarrassing, no question about that. Everyone was panicking,” John Halmahera, a spokesman for the local organizing committee, said.

“But the stadium guys are sure it will not happen again.”

The 25-minute blackout late in the second half was the latest snag to hit the event in Indonesia, which is hosting all the Group D matches, a quarterfinal and the July 29 final.

The co-host have faced a number of logistical problems since the Tounrmanet began.

Ticketless anger

On Monday, hundreds of fans attempted to storm the stadium after failing to get tickets for Indonesia’s first home match.

The Saudi Arabia coach Helio Cesar dos Anjos called the state of the training pitches a “disaster” and also questioned the quality of the turf at the 88,000 capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Halmahera said the power went out at the stadium because the electrical system was overloaded.

“They are trying to add capacity now,” he said, adding that the Asian Football Confederation had full confidence in Indonesia to stage the final.

The South Korea vs. Saudi Arabia match ended in a 1-1 tie.

Gelora Bung Karno stadium was built in 1962 to host the Asian Games with money from the former Soviet Union, which was then trying to expand communist influence in Asia.

The arena, where former president Sukarno made historic speeches against the West to massive crowds in the 1960s, remains one of the biggest in the region.

Indonesia spent around $8 million on renovations to get the venue ready for this year’s tournament.