Indonesia’s dream to host the U-20 World Cup 2023 has shattered. To make matters worse, Indonesia now awaits sanctions from FIFA.
By
Kompas Team
·6 minutes read
KOMPAS
Arriving in Qatar on Wednesday (29/3/2023), PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir conducted negotiations with FIFA. However, FIFA removed Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup 2023.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – FIFA removed Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup 2023. The world football ’s ruling body decided Indonesia is incapable of hosting the youth football tournament following controversy over Israel’s participation and regional heads’ refusal to host the Israeli team. Moreover, the U-20 Indonesian team will also be unable to compete in the event.
“Following today’s meeting between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and president of the Football Association of Indonesia [PSSI] Erick Thohir, FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023,” a FIFA statement said on Wednesday (29/3/2023) evening.
Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.
FIFA will announce a new host in the near future. Despite making changes to the host country, FIFA has no plans to change the tournament schedule, which will be held from May 20 to June 11. Currently, Peru, Argentina and Qatar are strong contenders to replace Indonesia as the host.
“Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage. FIFA would like to underline that despite this decision, it remains committed to actively assisting the PSSI, in close cooperation and with the support of the government of President Widodo, in the transformation process of Indonesian football following the tragedy that occurred in October 2022,” continued FIFA’s statement.
FIFA’s decision was made after a four-hour meeting with PSSI chairman Erick Thohir in Doha on Wednesday evening. PSSI executive committee member Arya Sinulingga said Erick’s lobbying had failed to change FIFA’s view of Indonesia.
In a written statement, Erick stated he had tried his best to convince the FIFA president that Indonesia could still host the U-20 World Cup. However, Indonesia is a FIFA member that must abide by the FIFA’s authority and decisions.
“I tried my best. After delivering a letter from President Jokowi and speaking at length with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, we must accept FIFA’s decision to cancel the event we've been looking forward to,” said Erick.
TANGKAPAN LAYAR LAMAN FIFA MEDIA HUB
News on the theme song for the 2023 U-20 World Cup which can still be accessed at the special forum for journalists, FIFA Media Hub, Wednesday (29/3/2023). However, FIFA officially removed Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup 2023.
Signs that Indonesia would be stripped of its hosting rights include FIFA’s decision to cancel the group stage draw that was supposed to take place this Friday (31/3).
“FIFA deems us incapable. [FIFA] abides by principles of equality, fair play and antidiscrimination, which cannot be contested,” Arya said on Wednesday night.
Although President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had reiterated that Israel was allowed to compete in the country, Arya continued, it was not enough to convince FIFA, which prioritizes security for the 24 participants in the U-20 World Cup 2023. This relates to several regional heads’ refusal to host the Israeli team, including Governor Bali I Wayan Koster and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.
With this failure, it will become increasingly difficult for Indonesia to gain the trust needed to hold major sporting events, such as the World Cup and the Olympics.
“I am concerned that PSSI will be sanctioned and ostracized by the world. This wouldn’t only affect the realm of football but could also impact other fields, which will affect our country’s reputation,” said Arya.
Now that Indonesia will not participate in the U-20 World Cup 2023, PSSI will soon have to decide what to do with Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesian U-20 team training camp. The “Garuda Muda” team has been training together in Jakarta for almost a month.
As host, Indonesia automatically qualified for the U-20 World Cup. However, with its hosting rights stripped, the U-20 Indonesian team will likely fail to compete in the tournament.
In welcoming the U-20 World Cup 2023, Indonesia released its mascot, Bacuya, and launched official merchandise for the tournament, which has been sold publicly since early March.
Arena preparations
Arya added that FIFA truly appreciated Indonesia’s commitment to preparing conducive arenas. FIFA’s final inspection of six stadiums from 22-27 March left only minor improvements that needed to be made to meet FIFA’s tournament standards.
Although Indonesia will not be hosting the tournament, the six host cities/provinces were already in their final stages of preparation to welcome future world soccer stars.
KOMPAS
FIFA officially removed Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup 2023.
In Jakarta, the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) complex, which was supposed to host the inaugural match and the opening ceremony, only needed minor adjustments, such as the completion of platform work, a video operations center and construction of a bus route to the training grounds.
“We have not yet received FIFA’s notes on their last inspection last week. So, we are still working based on previous inspection records, which were only minor in nature,” said Dwi K. Pratiwi from the GBK complex public relations center on Wednesday.
Based on Kompas’ monitoring, work on the main stadium is still ongoing. Some workers are wrapping up bathroom renovations at GBK.
Surakarta, Central Java, Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka also ensured his city was fully prepared to host the tournament. The Manahan Stadium in Surakarta was supposed to host matches for the preliminary, semifinal, final and closing rounds.
Work to improve the playing arenas were also seen at four other stadiums, namely Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, East Java; Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, West Java; Jakabaring Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra; and Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Gianyar, Bali.
No effect
In Jakarta, Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) chairman Raja Sapta Oktohari hoped the controversy against the Israeli soccer team in the U-20 World Cup would not affect all sports in Indonesia.
According to Okto, Indonesia should practice the teachings of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prevent other matters from intervening in sports. “From the beginning, sports make Indonesia strong. We cannot allow Indonesia to be isolated from the international community,” he said.
As of now, many Indonesian athletes aspire to represent the country in international events. He asked policymakers to be more careful when making decisions. “More than 100 million athletes train and aspire to carry the red and white flag in international events,” he said.
We cannot allow Indonesia to be isolated from the international community.
Indonesia’s next challenge is to host the ANOC World Beach Games 2023 in Bali, from 5-12 August 2023. Out of 14 sporting events, Israeli athletes will participate in the men’s 3x3 basketball event and the women’s 5-kilometer swimming event.
Okto met with the Bali governor to seek his approval, who thus far has no issue with the event. “The challenge now is to convince other countries that will come as well as the 206 participating countries,” said Okto. (SAN/NCA/IGA/RAM/RTG/CHE/Z09)
