Indonesia stripped of Under-20 World Cup hosting rights

FIFA on Wednesday, March 29, stripped Indonesia of the right to host this year’s Under-20 men’s World Cup.

The decision to remove the Asian nation as host of the tournament starting in May was taken by FIFA after the Indonesian football federation (PSSI) said it had cancelled the draw because the governor of Bali refused to host Israel’s team.

FIFA said in a statement;

“FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup 2023.

“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.”

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.

Earlier this month, protesters marched in the capital Jakarta waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and demanding Israel not be allowed to participate. Indonesia’s population is predominantly Muslim.

Earlier this week, the PSSI said losing hosting rights would harm the Indonesian football team’s chances of taking part in other FIFA tournaments, while the economic losses would amount to “trillions of rupiah”.