Dozens of protesters in Indonesia against the participation of the Israeli soccer team in the World Youth Championship (Reuters)
After a meeting between Gianni Infantino and the president of Indonesia's federation, FIFA announced today (Wednesday) that "due to the circumstances, it has decided to remove Indonesia as the host of the Under-20 World Cup". It has not yet been announced where the championship will be held, and the Indonesians may suffer additional sanctions
. The latter in Indonesia came out against Israel's participation in the championship. Member of Parliament Muhammad Nasir Jamil claimed that FIFA was the one who created a precedent when it suspended Russia from its activities following the invasion of Ukraine by its army, and this is how Israel should also behave, 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."
You will not arrive in Indonesia.
Israel's youth team (photo: official website, the Football Association)
As mentioned, it is not clear if Indonesia will participate in the championship and what additional punishments it will receive.
A member of the board of the Indonesian Football Association, Aria Sinolinga, warned even before the decision: "If FIFA robs us of hosting the tournament, the consequences will be very severe.
Indonesia will not be able to offer itself as a host, it will be removed from international competitions, including in Asia.
And also at the local level, the impact will be felt, because our three top leagues are registered in FIFA. So they will basically no longer exist."
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The youth team
