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Indonesia is in talks with Australia for a possible joint 2034 World Cup bid, its football chief has said, despite the Asian confederation declaring its support for Saudi Arabia’s candidacy.
Riyadh’s bid is the latest step in a campaign to turn the kingdom into a global sports powerhouse but Indonesian FA president Erick Thohir, a government minister and former Inter Milan owner, said Jakarta and Canberra could prepare their own bid. “At the time, Australia said ‘Let’s go together’, I replied ‘Okay, we’re ready’, it’s up to the government of each country to talk,” he told a news conference.Thohir also said he had raised the prospect with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who he said responded positively.Football Australia said last week it was exploring the option of bidding for the 2034 World Cup but did not mention a joint bid with Indonesia.
Thohir said options for a joint bid included Indonesia and Australia with New Zealand, or Indonesia and Australia with Malaysia and Singapore.However, Indonesian football has been mired in controversy over the past year.