Dozens of protesters in Indonesia against the participation of the Israeli soccer team in the World Youth Championship (Reuters)
Against the background of the cancellation of the lottery and the possibility that FIFA will transfer the Mondialeto to another country, the country that is supposed to host the World Under-20 Championship, Indonesia, there is a division regarding the participation of Israel's youth team in the tournament. Political parties in the country continue to call on the heads of government to insist on the pro-Palestinian position, While the representatives of the football industry warn of the sporting consequences this may have.
The Palestinian ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair al-Shon, asked the public to separate politics from sports, but the member of parliament Mohamed Nasir Jamil claims that it was FIFA that set a precedent when it suspended Russia from its factories following the invasion of its army to Ukraine, and this is how Israel should behave as well, being the occupier of Palestine.
"We are dealing with FIFA, a non-profit organization, not the United Nations.
And so it should not worry the Indonesian government," Jamil told the Medcom website.
Kak Nanto, the head of the Indonesian Muslim movement "Muhammadiya", proposed to set a condition for Israel's participation in the Mondialeto: that its flag not be flown in Indonesia.
"Our foreign policy criticizes the lack of a solution for the independence of Palestine. We must adopt a different approach than the one that has been used for decades. The most important thing is that according to the declaration of independence from 1945, Indonesia opposes occupation of any kind," Nanto said.
"I truly believe that Indonesia can be an example to other countries in its insistence on fighting for the independence of Palestine."
Will you come to Indonesia?
Israel's youth team (photo: official website, the Football Association)
Another position was expressed by Hikamanto Javana, a professor of international law at the University of Indonesia, who told Medcom: "We accept Israel's flag and its anthem because it is part of the rules set by FIFA.
Does this mean we are withdrawing from our struggle for Palestine?
I do not think so.
The arrival of the Israeli national team must not suppress our struggle for the rights of the Palestinian people."
On the other hand, the same media organization interviewed a member of the board of the Indonesian Football Association, Aryeh Sinolinga, who warned: "If FIFA robs us of hosting the tournament, the consequences will be very severe. Indonesia does not will be able to offer itself as a host, it will be removed from international competitions, including in Asia. The impact will also be felt at the local level, because our three top leagues are registered with FIFA.
So they will actually no longer exist."
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The youth team
