Indonesia has been stripped of the right to host this year’s Under-20 soccer World Cup, FIFA said on Wednesday.
The decision to stop Indonesia from staging the May 20-June 11 tournament was taken after the country’s football federation (PSSI) said it had canceled the draw because the governor of the largely Hindu island of Bali refused to host Israel’s team.
“FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 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.”
World soccer’s ruling body added that the decision had been taken following a meeting between its president, Gianni Infantino, and PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir.
“Indonesia is a FIFA member, so for any international soccer matters, we have to abide by the rules,” Thohir said in a statement on PSSI’s website. “I ask all football lovers to keep their heads held high over this tough decision by FIFA. It’s time we proved to FIFA to work harder to transform soccer, towards clean and high-achieving soccer.”
The loss of hosting rights will be a big setback in Indonesia, where football has a massive following, despite the lack of international success since qualifying for the 1938 World Cup as the Dutch East Indies.
Protesters marched in the capital, Jakarta, this month waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and demanding that Israel not be allowed to participate. Indonesia’s population is predominantly Muslim. Most Indonesian Muslims practice a moderate version of Islam, but there has been a rise in religious conservatism in recent years that has crept into politics.
Earlier this week, the PSSI said losing hosting rights would harm Indonesian football teams’ chances of taking part in other FIFA tournaments, while the economic losses would amount to “trillions of rupiah.” FIFA said on Wednesday that it was committed to aiding the PSSI following a deadly stampede last year that led to the deaths of 135 spectators at a stadium in East Java.
“Members of the FIFA team will continue to be present in Indonesia in the coming months and will provide the required assistance to the PSSI, under the leadership of President Thohir,” FIFA said in the statement. “A new meeting between the FIFA president and the PSSI president for further discussions will be scheduled shortly.”
As hosts, Indonesia automatically qualified for the Under-20 World Cup, but they have not played in the tournament since 1979.
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