U-20 World Cup draw was postponed amid protests against Israeli participation

The Under-20 FIFA World Cup draw, which was supposed to take place in Indonesia the next week, has been postponed since the governor of Bali declined to welcome the Israeli squad.

The draw that was scheduled to take place on Friday has been cancelled, according to the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).
FIFA continued to assess the competition’s preparation.

Israel was slated to compete for the first time in the 24-team tournament, which was supposed to take place from May 20 to June 11 in six locations.

A story that came out earlier this month said that Wayan Koster, the governor of Bali, wrote to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and begged them not to let the Israeli team play in Bali because of the war with Palestine.

Also, the PSSI received the letter.

Before, the governor of Bali did not want Israel to take part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. This may prompt FIFA to postpone the U-20 World Cup draw.

The governor’s denial, according to FIFA, is equivalent to the Bali Provincial Government cancelling its organising guarantee, the PSSI stated in a statement.

As they marched through the Indonesian city of Jakarta with the Indonesian and Palestinian flags earlier this month, protesters asked that Israel not be allowed to join.

The majority of people in Indonesia are Muslims. The majority of Indonesian Muslims follow a moderate form of Islam, but in recent years, religious conservatism has increased and even permeated sports.

Over the past year, Israeli troops have killed more than 200 Palestinians in the West Bank, including both combatants and civilians.

In the meantime, attacks by Palestinians have killed almost 40 Israelis and 3 Ukrainians.

Arya Sinulingga, a member of the PSSI Executive Committee, expressed concern about how FIFA sanctions would “isolate Indonesian football from the globe” if Indonesia loses its hosting rights as a result.

Being the tournament’s hosts, Indonesia automatically qualified for the Under-20 World Cup, but they haven’t participated since 1979.

Due to intervention from the government, FIFA also suspended Indonesia for almost a year. In May 2016, FIFA lifted the suspension.

Nonetheless, at the time, the suspension had prevented Indonesian teams from competing in forthcoming big competitions.

Sinulingga stated that the PSSI was working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to create a solution that would keep politics and sport separate.

In order to resolve all of this and safeguard Indonesian football, which we adore, “the chairman will also report to Mr. President at the earliest opportunity,” Sinulingga said.

According to the PSSI, losing the hosting rights would make it more difficult for Indonesian football teams to compete in future FIFA competitions and result in financial losses of “trillions of rupiah.”

After a horrific stampede killed 135 people at a stadium in East Java in October last year, Indonesia is likewise attempting to repair its image.

Once police shot tear gas into the throng, many people were trampled as they ran for the doors.

(Reuters/NAN)