Indonesia stripped of tournament over controversy

Indonesian football players, fans and pundits reacted with sadness and anger last week after FIFA pulled the Under-20 World Cup from the host nation weeks before it was due to kick off, following protests against Israel’s participation.

The humiliating loss came after two influential governors advocated banning Israel from the competition, with many speaking out against the anti-Israel policies.

Indonesia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, and support for the Palestinian cause in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation runs high, fuelling local opposition to hosting the Israeli team.

FIFA’s decision to find a new host – thereby nixing Indonesia’s automatic qualifying spot – puts the country’s most popular sport back in the doldrums and facing another bout of isolation.

Some of the archipelago nation’s football prodigies took to social media with fury and heartbreak after losing the chance to play at what FIFA bills as the “tournament of tomorrow’s superstars”.

“Energy, time, sweat and even blood we have put in, but in a moment failed because of political reasons. Here’s our big dream that you’ve destroyed,” wrote 19-year-old striker Rabbani Tasnim.

An Indonesian FA video showed players with heads bowed and their coach in tears after receiving the news last Wednesday that FIFA would seek a new host.

“We, the players, are now affected, not just us but all footballers,” said 18-year-old striker Hokky Caraka.

Last Thursday morning, flower boards for the players popped up outside the FA headquarters in central Jakarta, including one that read: “Do not give up on your dream.”

Indonesians inundated the Instagram page of Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo – one of the leading candidates in next year’s presidential election – with negative comments after he opposed Israel’s participation.

Bali’s governor had also joined the anti-Israel chorus and around a hundred conservative Muslim protesters held an anti-Israel rally in Jakarta this month.

When the country was handed the tournament in 2019, many viewed it as a source of national pride.

Jakarta pledged to guarantee Israel’s participation despite its pro-Palestinian stance, yet opposing voices became too loud for FIFA.

“This is truly a very painful incident for the Indonesian people. Those who made the noise and made us fail … must be held accountable,” said Akmal Marhali, expert at football watchdog Save Our Soccer.

“Indonesia’s name in international sports is tarnished, this is a bitter event in our soccer history,” said Andieka Rabbani, a university student in the capital, Jakarta.

He added that Israeli delegations have been to Indonesia for sporting and diplomatic events before, including four Israelis who competed in the World Cycling Championship last month in Jakarta.

A number of members of Israel’s Knesset also attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Bali last year, and they were also warmly welcomed by Indonesia’s house speaker Puan Maharani, the grand-daughter of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, and the Bali Governor Wayan Koster, who was the first to reject the Israeli youth soccer team.

An Israeli delegation also attended the COP-13 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali in 2007 without any rejection.

Indonesian officials said losing the tournament could cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars.

FIFA threatened further sanctions and could exclude Indonesia from 2026 World Cup qualifiers that begin in October. It was banned for a year in 2015 over government interference.

TIMES OF ISRAEL, AGENCIES