The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has postponed the draw for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup which was to be held in Indonesia next week, due to Jakarta’s refusal to host the Israeli team.
FIFA’s decision is a preliminary measure and other decisions may follow that could lead to the withdrawal of Indonesia’s right to host the tournament.
The media cited official sources as saying that the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) was in talks with FIFA about “the possibility of Singapore hosting the Israeli team’s matches due to Jakarta’s political position.”
It was reported that Qatar was prepared to host the tournament if an agreement was not reached between FIFA and the PSSI.
The 24-team tournament is scheduled to take place from May 20 to June 11 across six Indonesian cities and Israel was due to start the tournament.
Tel Aviv and Jakarta have no formal diplomatic ties. Indonesia has repeatedly criticized Israel’s violations against the Palestinian people and called for a boycott of Israeli goods.
(PC, MEMO)
