World football governing body, FIFA, has announced stripped Indonesia the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 hosting right.
The announcement followed Wednesday’s meeting between FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, and President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Erick Thohir.
A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged and 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.
“Members of the FIFA team will continue to be present in Indonesia in the coming months and will provide the required assistance to the PSSI, under the leadership of President Thohir.
“A new meeting between the FIFA President and the PSSI President for further discussions will be scheduled shortly,” according to information on FIFA website.
Indonesia’s hosting duty for the 2023 U-20 World Cup was called into question, after world soccer’s governing body FIFA cancelled the tournament’s group stage draw in Bali scheduled for March 31, amid growing opposition to the participation of Israel.
A number of regional heads and chapters from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have been vocal in their criticism in recent days, although analysts believe their statements are politically motivated.
