Various efforts are being made to ensure Indonesia will still be able to stage the 2023 U-20 football World Cup. Serious consequences await if Indonesia does not host the tournament.
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Kompas Team
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DOKUMENTASI LOC PIALA DUNIA U-20 2023
The FIFA team conducted an inspection at the I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali, Monday (27/3/2023). I Wayan Dipta Stadium is one of the candidate stadiums for the 2023 U-20 World Cup.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Rejection of the Israeli team’s participation in the U-20 World Cup to be hosted by Indonesia will have serious consequences for the future of this country’s soccer. To avoid being penalized, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) will seek to find common ground through diplomatic means. Calls have been mounting for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to intervene and monitor the issue as the host of the event.
Israel’s participation in the U-20 football World Cup has led to opposition. As a result, FIFA canceled the group stage draw that was supposed to take place in Bali on March 31.
PSSI chairman Erick Thohir headed to FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday (27/3/2023) to speak with FIFA leaders. “As a nation, we must open communication to find the best solution because this is a very rare occurrence,” said Erick in Jakarta.
Erick is optimistic that Indonesia can still host the U-20 World Cup as FIFA has not yet decided on another host country. FIFA also recently inspected five stadiums that will be used for matches during the tournament and they have been deemed suitable for use.
FIFA representatives are still inspecting several stadiums and supporting fields. The team was in Bali on Monday (27/3), after visiting Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday (26/3) and Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday (25/3).
Save Our Soccer coordinator Akmal Marhali believes that serious consequences await Indonesia if it cancels the biennial tournament. In addition to being frozen by the federation, Indonesia is also at risk of having its FIFA membership revoked as its actions are deemed to have interfered with the agenda of its parent tournament, the World Cup.
“Indonesia volunteered to host, submitted a proposal, and now we reject a country that legally qualified [for the tournament]. FIFA and other participants will suffer many losses. This counts as interference. We could later be sanctioned for this. One [of the heaviest sanctions] is to have our [FIFA membership] revoked,” Akmal said when contacted on Monday.
We could later be sanctioned for this.
PSSI executive committee member Arya Sinulingga expressed concern over FIFA sanctions. According to him, the PSSI is using diplomatic means to ensure common ground will be reached so that Indonesia can continue to host the U-20 World Cup. He gave an assurance that PSSI chairman Erick will approach and lobby FIFA.
If Indonesia fails to host the U-20 World Cup, Arya said that the country was at risk of being excluded from the world soccer community. This is a penalty with serious implications because it will prevent Indonesian soccer from being acknowledged by FIFA.
MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA
The FIFA team inspects Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium, Bandung City, West Java, Friday (24/3/2023). This stadium is one of the training arenas for players who will compete in the U-20 World Cup.
However, Akmal is of the opinion that the PSSI and government’s lobbying efforts will be tough since the government insists on adhering to the Constitution, which hinders Israel’s participation. On the other hand, Israel is an official FIFA member and has legally qualified for the finals of the U-20 World Cup through the qualifying rounds.
Because of this, Akmal continued, FIFA will not go back on its decision to include Israel despite strong opposition from Indonesians. Israel’s participation is fixed for FIFA and Indonesia cannot interfere with this decision under any circumstances.
Therefore, Akmal urged President Jokowi to intervene. There is still a chance for Indonesia to convince FIFA that the Israeli team will have security guarantees while participating in the U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
FIFA did not agree
Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said the government put forward several conditions regarding the participation of the Israeli national team in the U-20 World Cup. However, because FIFA did not agree, lobbying will be carried out instead.
“Of course, we regret that the conditions we submitted to FIFA were not agreed upon,” said Muhadjir, who is currently serving as acting youth and sports minister, at the State Palace on Monday.
Although he did not mention the terms and conditions put forward to FIFA, Muhadjir stressed that the Indonesian government, in principle, would comply with the Constitution.
He also denied that Indonesia would not host the U-20 World Cup. “We haven’t reached that point yet. It is still up for discussion. I think Pak Erick will soon go to Zurich to consult with FIFA further. This is not the highest level, right? Yesterday, only the PSSI deputy chairman was met. Hopefully, there will be common ground. FIFA should at least understand Indonesia’s stance on this matter. So, this is not a matter of being rejected or protesting, but a matter of the Constitution,” he said.
Soccer observer Anton Sanjoyo is of the opinion that there is a possibility the U-20 World Cup in Indonesia will be canceled. However, it is also possible that this year’s tournament will be held in two different countries. Qatar was touted as one of the candidates.
Mundari Karya, a member of the junior Indonesian squad at the 1979 World Youth Championship, hoped that Indonesia would still host the U-20 World Cup. “After all this time, we talk about developing our soccer, but that’s just wishful thinking. In the U-20 World Cup, we will see the gap between our soccer and world teams,” he said. (IGA/SAN/NCA/INA/CAS/SUT/Z09)
