Indonesia has been stripped of hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup only eight weeks before the start of the tournament, amid political turmoil over Israel’s participation, leaving Indonesian football players and fans feeling angered and dismayed.
The youth football event was set to shine a global spotlight on Indonesia, a country that has never competed in a World Cup but which boasts millions of fans across the nation and fields teams and competitions at local, regional and national levels.
The event was officially cancelled after the governors of Bali and Yogyakarta said they would not permit Israeli teams to play in their territories.
The Yogyakarta governor’s stance largely reflected objections voiced by prominent Muslim groups around the country to Israeli participation at the event, whereas the Balinese governor’s position was more taciturn, citing the desire to avoid potential terrorist-style reprisals being visited on the local Hindu population as well as the large number of tourists that would be visiting the island, if Israeli teams were to play on Balinese soil.
FIFA said Indonesia was removed from staging the 24-team tournament scheduled to start on May 20 “due to the current circumstances,” referring to the anti-Israeli sentiment expressed by the two governors.
After FIFA’s announcement, popular social media were flooded with outraged comments from disappointed fans. Many blamed politics a year ahead of a presidential election. Although Israeli athletes have competed in Indonesia as recently as last month, Indonesia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and, as a Muslim-majority nation, publicly supports the Palestinian cause.
In an emotional meeting with Indonesian youth players and their coach in Jakarta on Thursday, Zainudin Amali, deputy chair of the national football association, apologised. Some players were seen shedding tears while others looked down sadly.
“It’s a heartbreaking decision that ruined our dreams, and now we are confused about our future as players if FIFA imposes sanctions,” said Hokky Caraka, a striker in Indonesia’s U-20 national team, “It’s the players who suffer the most,” he said.
Football and public authorities in Indonesia agreed to FIFA’s hosting rules, which require hosts to accept all qualifying teams, before being selected in 2019 to host the 2023 Under-20 World Cup.
Covid prevented the series being played for two years and the Israeli team only qualified in June last year by reaching the semifinals of the Under-19 European Championship.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo, urged people to respect FIFA’s ruling.
“I know this decision has disappointed many people. I also feel the same, disappointed and sad,” he said.
“But don’t waste our energy by blaming each other. As a great nation we must look forward, not backward. Make this a valuable lesson for all of us, for Indonesian national football.”
The U-20 World Cup was supposed to be a grand celebratory event after a difficult year for Indonesian football. In October last year, over 125 people died in a stampede at a domestic league game. The tragedy shone a light on the long-standing struggles of Indonesian football. Hosting the U-20 World Cup was supposed to turn the page to a new, brighter chapter for football in the country.
While the host country would normally automatically qualify to play in the World Cup, whether Indonesia’s team would still receive the host’s automatic berth was not immediately clear from FIFA’s announcement.
FIFA has yet to announce sanctions though it is widely expected that a number of measures will be announced, including a period where the country will be banned from competing at the international level. A suspension could remove Indonesia from Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The qualifiers start in October.
Source – The Jakarta Globe, The Diplomat.