Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Secretary of State Minister Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that the Rolex watches gifted to the Indonesian national football team were purchased using President Prabowo Subianto's personal funds.
President Prabowo Subianto gave Rolex watches as gifts to officials and members of the Indonesian national team during a lunch held at his home on Jalan Kertanegara Number 4, South Jakarta, on Friday, June 6, 2025. Definitely personal money, Prasetyo said when asked at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
Prasetyo added that the value of the gifts was not comparable to the contribution made by the Indonesian national team, who defeated China 1-0 in the World Cup qualifiers at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
However, when asked about the amount of money Prabowo spent on the Rolex watches, Prasetyo declined to provide details.
The day after the national team's victory, President Prabowo invited officials and team members to his house on Jalan Kertanegara Number 4 for lunch.
Following the meeting at Prabowo's private residence, the national team players were seen leaving with black paper bags from The Time Place, a luxury multi-brand watch boutique in Indonesia.
When questioned about the source of the gifts, Erick Thohir, Chairman of the All Indonesia Football Association (PSSI), said, It seems so, but I m not really sure.
One player from the Indonesian national team, Justin Hubner, shared a video on his Instagram account @justinhubner5 showing the black bag containing a green Rolex box. Inside the box was a silver watch with a black dial.
This luxurious watch gift created a buzz on social media. Comedian and director Ernest Prakasa tweeted on his X account about it. "I'm happy for the players who have fought. But as a citizen, it seems reasonable if I'm confused, they said it's about saving money, and then this, where does the budget come from?" wrote Ernest. He emphasized that the comment was made as a citizen, not a public figure.
This tweet sparked various reactions from netizens. Later, Ernest closed his X account on Sunday, June 8, 2025. "It was fun, but it's no longer what it used to be," wrote Ernest. The director of imperfect (2019) did not explicitly mention whether the decision to close his X account was directly related to the controversy. Tempo has tried to contact Ernest, but has not received a response.
– Ervana Trikarinaputri and Adinda Jasmine contributed to the writing of this article.