On the 30th, FIFA issued a statement saying, “Indonesia is excluded from the host country of the 2023 U-20 World Cup.” The World Cup was scheduled to be held in six Indonesian cities from May 20 to June 11. It is the first time that the host country of an international convention has changed less than two months before the opening ceremony.
FIFA did not specify the reason, but the general analysis is that it is because of ‘religious conflict’. Israel recently finished runners-up in the European qualifiers, confirming their U-20 qualification for the first time. Since then, demands have been infested in Indonesia that “the entry of Israeli athletes should be blocked.” Powerful Islamic groups threatened to kidnap Israeli players if they entered the country.
ndonesia, which has the largest Muslim 바카라사이트population in the world, supports the independence of its fellow Muslim state, Palestine. Israel, which oppresses the Palestinians, was regarded as an enemy and did not even establish diplomatic ties. This means that the deep-rooted conflict between Israel and Palestine has even affected sports. Israel’s state religion is Judaism.Even the politicians incited hatred and escalated the situation. Central Java Governor Ganbar Pranowuer, the next presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), stimulated public sentiment by saying, “Israel must be rejected,” and the governor of Bali, the host of the tournament, said, “Israel games should be banned in Bali. do,” he claimed.
Indonesian media Compass said, “This is the result of politicians pouring out strong statements and inciting anti-Israel sentiment because of the presidential and general elections in February next year.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo appealed to “don’t confuse sports with politics,” but public opinion did not cool down. FIFA issued a drastic prescription of changing the host country to keep the principle “football should not be intertwined with politics or religion.” After the collapse of a football stadium in Java, Indonesia in October of last year, which left over 700 casualties, there was considerable skepticism saying, “I cannot believe Indonesia’s safety measures.
” There is a high possibility that the U-20 qualifier for the Indonesian national team led by Lee will disappear, and FIFA may impose additional penalties, such as banning the Indonesian national team from participating in international competitions. With the disappearance, large-scale economic losses are inevitable.Argentina
, Peru, Qatar, etc. are emerging as alternatives to host this U-20 World Cup instead of Indonesia.This year’s U-20 was supposed to be held in Indonesia in 2021, but was postponed due to the Corona 19 pandemic.