Jakarta. The government will provide Rp 227 billion ($14.3 million) in funding for the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), and the first tranche of the money will come in January, according to its chairman Erick Thohir.

PSSI has been nudging the government to grant the association a bigger budget. In 2024, PSSI will get Rp 120 billion through the state budget allocated for the Sports Ministry. Erick has penned a letter to the Finance Ministry to increase the budget allocation. He revealed Tuesday that President Prabowo Subianto had given his green light to grant over Rp 200 billion to the association that oversees the widely popular sport starting next month. Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo has also given his word that the “money is ready”, according to Erick.

“We will get a total of Rp 227 billion, and [the government] will start with Rp 25 billion in January or February,” Erick told the press in Jakarta.

“But this is not all the money that we have. We also rely on private funding. In total, we have between Rp 500 billion to 600 billion for our programs. About 70-80 percent [of that money] goes to the national team,” Erick said.

The upcoming $14.3 million funding should enable PSSI to set up the training camps for the U-17 and U-20 Asian cups, Erick said. PSSI not long ago revealed that 19 companies had sponsored the national team.