FIFA strips Indonesia of U-20 World Cup hosting rights over ‘Israel’ participation

Jakarta (QNN)- FIFA has stripped Indonesia of the right to host the Under-20 football World Cup after protests against Israel’s participation led to the cancellation of the tournament’s main draw.
“FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023,” the global football’s governing body said in a Wednesday statement without providing further clarification. “A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged.”
The statement said “potential sanctions” against the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) “may also be decided at a later stage.”
The decision came following a meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the PSSI’s President Erick Thohir.
Earlier this month, protesters marched in the capital Jakarta waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and demanding ‘Israel’ not be allowed to participate.
A total of 24 teams were scheduled to play in the youth tournament across six Indonesian cities from May 20 to June 11. ‘Israel’ has qualified for the first time.
The PSSI on Sunday said this week’s draw for the tournament had been canceled after the governor of the holiday island of Bali refused to host Israel’s team.
Indonesian officials said a rejection from Bali’s governor to hosting ‘Israel’ on the Hindu-majority island and call for it to be thrown out of the cup because of its policies towards the Palestinians was likely behind the draw’s cancellation.
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday that Israel’s participation in the tournament would bring no change to its foreign policy, saying “do not mix matters of sports and politics.”
Widodo underlined Indonesia’s support for Palestine and a two-state solution, adding that Israel’s qualification was secured long after his country won hosting rights.
“I hereby guarantee Israel’s participation has nothing to do with the consistency of our foreign policy position towards Palestine because our support for Palestine is always strong and sturdy,” he said in a live-streamed address on Tuesday.
The U-20 tournament was supposed to represent the first major football competition hosted by the Southeast Asian country and losing the World Cup event is a significant setback.
The country is still reeling from one of the world’s deadliest stadium disasters, in which at least 135 people were killed and more than 300 others injured at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, in October.
Thus, gaining the hosting rights to the U-20 World Cup had been a significant step for Indonesian soccer and losing the tournament threatens to damage the country’s reputation within the sport.
Indonesia’s opposition to ‘Israel’ has disrupted international sports for both countries in the past.
Indonesia was one of three Muslim-majority countries that dropped out of qualifiers for the 1958 World Cup rather than play against Israeli teams, allowing ‘Israel’ to win the Africa and Asia group qualifying rounds without setting foot on the field.
In 1962, ‘Israel’ withdrew from the Asian Games after Indonesia, as host, refused to issue visas to Israeli participants.