The 2022/2023 Liga 1 Officially Halted; Examining its Economic Potential Since 2019

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) announced the suspension of Liga 1 2022-2023 indefinitely on Monday (1/3). The suspension of Indonesia's top-tier football competition follows the tragedy at Kanjuruhan Stadium, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.

Liga 1 2021/2022 had only recently resumed after a suspension of more than 1.5 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Liga 1 2022-2023, which began on July 23, 2022, has now been halted.

Research by the Institute for Economic and Community Research (LPEM) of the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (FEB UI), reveals that this top-tier Indonesian football competition has a significant economic impact.

According to LPEM UI research, based on data from the 2018-2019 season, the direct economic turnover of Liga 1 is estimated to have reached Rp 1.35 trillion.

Citing Idx Channel, in that year, ticket sales reached Rp 171.82 billion, attracting approximately 2.86 million spectators. Spectator spending on transportation is estimated at Rp 85.91 billion, with similar spending on food and beverages.

Merchandise sales reached Rp 300 billion. Competition advertising amounted to Rp 180 billion, television advertising to Rp 354 billion, and club sponsorships to Rp 180 billion.

The competition was halted in 2020/2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought activities worldwide to a standstill. In that competition year, the estimated potential economic loss was Rp 2.7 trillion to Rp 3 trillion.

Meanwhile, the economic turnover in the Liga 1 2021/2022 competition decreased to an estimated Rp 1 trillion. The Liga 1 2022/2023 competition was predicted to generate around Rp 3 trillion in turnover but was ultimately halted due to the Kanjuruhan tragedy.

The chaos in Malang has not only impacted the economy but also Indonesia's already tarnished international image in football.