She fought.- Indonesia could lose the opportunity to host a global youth tournament and the possibility of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after refusing to welcome the Israeli team.
FIFA canceled a major preparation step after some governors and protesters demanded the exclusion of Israel and the tournament due to take place between May 20 and June 11 is on hiatus.
The draw for the U-20 World Cup was due to take place this Friday in Bali, but FIFA canceled the event after the island’s governor, Wayan Koster, asked to veto the Israeli team.
Israel, which will participate in the U-20 tournament for the first time, was to focus on Bali, which has one of the six stadiums that will be used in the tournament.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a sensitive issue for the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The nation of 277 million people has openly supported the Palestinian cause for religious reasons and because of its anti-colonial tradition.
Due to next year’s presidential elections, the currently ruling Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle is being cautious.
In March 2022, an Israeli delegation attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Bali, a Hindu-majority province.
FIFA has not commented on the situation or reported on Argentina’s interest in holding the event. If local authorities do not resolve the issue, Indonesia risks being banned by FIFA and could miss the 2026 World Cup qualifying rounds, which begin on October 1.
President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday that his administration is trying to save the tournament.
Israel qualified in June by reaching the semi-finals of the European Under-19 Championship, although they lost the final to England.
Israel has competed in the European leagues since 1974, due to a boycott by some teams from the Asian Football Confederation.
