FIFA said Indonesia had been removed from hosting the 24 team tournament, which is due to start on May 20, “due to current circumstances”, without elaborating. The decision followed a meeting between the president of the Indonesian Football Federation, Erick Thohir, in Doha, Qatar, and Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.
Israel qualified for its first U20 World Cup in June last year. But the country’s participation in the official draw for the tournament’s groups, due to take place in Bali on Friday, has sparked a political backlash this month.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation and does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, while publicly supporting the Palestinian cause. Indonesia’s hosting status for the tournament was called into question last Sunday when FIFA postponed the draw.
It is unclear who could now host the tournament, which was due to be played in six stadiums in Indonesia. Argentina, which did not qualify for the tournament, is reportedly interested in hosting. “The new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the tournament dates remaining unchanged for now,” FIFA said.
The Indonesian Football Federation could be further disciplined by FIFA. The suspension could knock Indonesia out of Asian qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Continental qualifiers start in October.
On Wednesday, FIFA appeared to deflect all blame from Thohir, the former president of Italian club Inter Milan – the team Infantino supports – and former co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers.
FIFA staff will continue to work in Indonesia in the coming months, the governing body said, “under the leadership of President Thohir”. Thohir said that as a member of FIFA, Indonesia had no choice but to accept the decision. “I tried my best,” he said in a statement. “Following the receipt of the letter from President Joko Widodo and long discussions with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, we must accept FIFA’s decision to cancel the event we are both looking forward to.”
He said that although he expressed all the concerns and hopes of the Indonesian president, football lovers and the players of the Indonesian national under-20 team, “FIFA believed that the current situation cannot continue.”
Football and public authorities in Indonesia agreed to FIFA’s requests to host in 2019 before being selected to host the U-20 World Cup in 2021. The coronavirus pandemic forced the tournament to be postponed by two years.
But Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Tuesday night that his administration objects to Israel’s involvement. He told citizens that the country had agreed to host before it knew Israel would qualify.
However, FIFA’s withdrawal of hosting rights has raised concerns in Indonesian football. Arya Sinulingga, a member of the executive committee of Indonesia’s national football association PSSI, was concerned about further repercussions.
“It is a sign that we are not able to fulfill what (FIFA) has asked us… among other things, that there should be no discrimination,” Sinulingga said in an interview with local television, “what we are most afraid of now is that we will excluded from international events, especially world football activities.”
“We have something that is bigger than losing the right to host the U20 World Cup. We have to face this in the near future and it could affect the future of our sport,” said Sinulingga, “Now we are fighting not to be sanctioned, but people should know… it’s too hard.”
Israel qualified for the tournament by reaching the semi-finals of the European Under-19 Championship. The team lost to England in that final. Israel plays in Europe as a member of UEFA after leaving the Asian Football Confederation in the 1970s for political and security reasons.
