Jakarta. The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) issued a warning on Sunday that a pitch invasion will risk immediate police action during the friendly between the national team and Argentina.

The historic match, in which Indonesia will play against reigning world champions for the first time, is scheduled for Monday evening at Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta.

“Police know what to do [against pitch invaders] and we have witnessed excellent security measures during the previous match at Bung Tomo Stadium," PSSI Deputy Chairman Zainudin Amali told reporters in Jakarta.

He was referring to the friendly match between Indonesia and Palestine that went without incident earlier this week.

The organizers said more than 5,500 personnel from the police will be deployed to secure areas inside and outside the stadium during the Argentina match.

During another friendly between Argentina and Australia in China, a football fan invaded the pitch and approached football superstar Lionel Messi, who won’t play in Jakarta.

Indonesia as the host country must make sure that the visiting team can play comfortably in a secure environment, Zainudin said.

"If bad things happen, everyone in the world will talk about it and people won’t come again to Indonesia,” he added.

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