Indonesia’s right to host the Under-20 World Cup has been revoked by FIFA. The choice was made after the official tournament draw, which was scheduled to take place last Friday in Bali, was canceled.
The Bali Governor Wayan Koster refused to host the Israeli team, according to the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), forcing Fifa to cancel the draw.
The U20 World Cup is scheduled to run from May 20 to June 11. Israel and Indonesia don’t have any official diplomatic relations, and recently protesters have marched to demand that Israel not be allowed to participate in the competition in support of Palestine. Before Israel was granted tournament eligibility in 2019, Indonesia was given the hosting rights. Also scheduled to compete is the England U20 team. .
“Fifa has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the Fifa U20 World Cup 2023,” a Fifa statement said.
“A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged. Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.”
Half an hour before Fifa’s announcement, PSSI executive committee member Arya Sinulingga said he was “very pessimistic” about Indonesia keeping the hosting rights.
“If we make political requirements in sports, it’ll always be like this. We will be exiled from the football ecosystem.
“It’s very tough for all of us. We’re headed into a calamity in sports. We have to separate football or sports and politics.”
‘Fifa needs an alternative pretty quickly’ – analysis
Fifa has threatened to take action and maintains that Indonesia was not prepared to host the tournament. Despite the tensions surrounding Israel’s qualification, there was a growing sentiment that it had to be moved anyhow.
After Bali’s governor declared he did not want them to play in his region and Friday’s scheduled group stage draw was cancelled, criticism of Israel in the nation and its policy towards Palestine has been increasing. .
Fifa was aware that any decision to deny Indonesia the right to host the World Cup would be highly divisive, but it also understood that it had to take all necessary precautions to safeguard the players from any security threats. .
Indonesia is still scheduled to play in the 24-team tournament, so Fifa needs to find a replacement quickly. The tournament is scheduled to start on May 20.
