Fifa decided this Wednesday to remove Indonesia from the headquarters of the U-20 World Cup, to which Colombia already obtained a quota. The tournament was scheduled to run from May 20 to June 11.
Fifa did not offer more details about the situation that led to this decision, but an Indonesian soccer official related the measure of the instance with the opposition of the governor of Bali to the presence of Israel in this competition.
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Wayan Koster called for a boycott of the Israel team, qualified for this tournament for the first time, due to the Indonesian policy of supporting the Palestinians, in a letter sent to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The Indonesian government promised to ensure the safety of all participants, but Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, and Israel do not maintain diplomatic relations.
The organizers planned to make the Israel team play in Bali, an island with a majority Hindu population, to avoid problems, but the governor’s opposition questioned this project.
Colombia was classified for the World Cup and expected a rival
The Colombian U-20 team qualified for this edition of the World Cup, thanks to its third place in the South American of the category, which took place earlier this year in Cali and Bogotá.
The draw for the World Cup was going to take place this Friday on the island of Bali, but Fifa had to cancel it when the political situation that now led to the change of venue for the tournament became known.
For now there is no determination about which country could host this World Cup. Argentina applied to do it. It should be remembered that the Albicelestes did not qualify for the U-20 World Cup: they were left out in the first phase in Colombia.
Press reports ensure that another strong option to host the World Cup is Qatar, which did not qualify either, but has the infrastructure ready to do so for having held the Senior World Cup at the end of last year.
Fifa’s official statement
“Following today’s meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his PSSI counterpart Erik Thohir, FIFA has decided to withdraw Indonesia as the host country of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. 2023™ due to the current circumstances. The new host country will be announced as soon as possible, although the tournament dates remain unchanged for now. Possible sanctions for the PSSI will be determined later.
“FIFA wishes to emphasize that, despite the decision taken, it remains committed to helping the PSSI, in close collaboration with the Government of President Widodo, to carry out the process of transforming national football after the tragedy that occurred in October 2022. The members of the different FIFA teams will remain in Indonesia for the next few months and will assist the PSSI as necessary under the direction of President Thohir.
“The date of a new meeting between the president of FIFA and the president of the PSSI will be agreed soon.”
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Con AFP
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