Indonesian Football Commissioner Meets with FIFA Officials to Host U-20 World Cup

JAKARTA: Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) President Eric Thohir said Wednesday (29 March) that the Southeast Asian nation could lose the right to host the upcoming U-Soccer tournament, amid concerns that it will meet in Qatar with officials from the sport’s governing body, FIFA. said. 20 World Cup.

“Thank God (we) arrived in Qatar. All members of the team are ready to meet (and negotiate) with FIFA. Hopefully, there is a way out (and) a way out that will give you the best solution for your current situation.

“(I) ask the people of Indonesia to pray,” Tohir said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

However, he did not specify who he was meeting in the Gulf countries or his travel companions.

FIFA had previously postponed and then canceled the tournament’s draw event. It was originally scheduled to be held in Bali on March 31st. The decision comes after the resort island’s governor, Mr Wayan Koster, in a letter to Israel’s Ministry of Youth and Sports on 14 March, sought to ban Israel from participating in the U-20 World Cup.

Israel is one of 24 countries eligible to participate in the tournament.

Mr Koster is not the only politician to openly criticize Israel’s participation in the event. On March 23, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said in a written statement that he was lobbying the central government to host the U-20 World Cup “without Israel present”.

One stadium in each of the two regions of Indonesia has been selected to host the U-20 World Cup, scheduled to be held from May 20th to June 11th.

Several Muslim groups also staged protests rejecting the Israeli team.

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, has no official diplomatic relations with Israel.

FIFA’s decision to cancel Monday’s group draw has left many football pundits wondering if Indonesia will be able to retain its right to host the country’s first ever FIFA tournament.