Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Indonesian Football Association (PSS)I Chairman Erick Thohir denied speculation that Bahrain's national team requested armored tactical vehicles, locally known as rantis, for transportation during their 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers match against Indonesia on 25 March 2025 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

“I haven’t heard about such a request,” he told reporters at a team gathering event on Friday (28/2/2025).

Chairman Erick emphasized that AFC follows strict regulations and considers Indonesia a capable host. 

“We’ve held multiple matches without issues,” he added.

Chairman Erick assured that preparations for the Bahrain and China matches are on track. He also highlighted improvements in ticketing, reducing leakage from 17% to 5% in previous games against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

“This is about safety. Uncontrolled ticketing can lead to problems,” he said, as quoted by antaranews.com.

Bahrain previously used armored vehicles in Jakarta after a World Cup 2022 qualifier. Their last match against Indonesia in Riffa ended in a controversial 2-2 draw.

(mg/inp/pr/nm)