Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Israel’s participation in the U20 World Cup would not change the country’s foreign policy after the U20 World Cup draw was disrupted by protests against Israel’s participation in the Muslim-majority country. Cancel.
Indonesian President Widodo stressed his country’s support for Palestine and the two-state solution, adding that Israel’s qualification for the U20 World Cup came long after Indonesia had won the bid to host the U20 World Cup.
Widodo said in a live speech on the 28th of this month, “I hereby guarantee that Israel’s participation has nothing to do with the consistency of our foreign policy stance towards Palestine, because our support for Palestine has always been unwavering.”
“Don’t confuse sports with politics.”
Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel and support for the Palestinian cause is high in the world‘s most populous Muslim country.
Protesters have recently held demonstrations in Indonesia, demanding that the Israeli team be prevented from participating in the U20 World Cup held between May 20 and June 11 this year (a total of 24 teams participated).
Cancellation of the lottery ceremony
The draw for this week’s U20 World Cup match, scheduled for this week, was canceled after the governor of the resort island of Bali refused to host the Israeli team, the Indonesian Football Federation said on Sunday.
Indonesian officials said Bali’s governor’s refusal to host the Israeli team on the Hindu-majority island and his call for the Israeli team to be expelled from the tournament due to Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians may have been why the draw was canceled.
Nearly 100 Muslim demonstrators organized a march in the Indonesian capital Jakarta this month to protest the Israeli team’s participation.
A Fifa spokesman said inspections of the playing field had concluded, but had no comment on the Indonesian FA president’s meeting or when the draw could take place.
Key matches for Indonesian football
Widodo’s intervention comes against the backdrop of growing fears that Indonesia could face sanctions and isolation on the world football stage if it fails to guarantee Israel’s participation.
Indonesia was previously banned by FIFA for a year until May 2016 due to government interference.
Last year, 135 spectators were killed in a stampede at a stadium in East Java, Indonesia, and many others were crushed as they fled for the exit after police fired tear gas at the crowd. The Southeast Asian country has since struggled to rebuild its reputation.
The country’s acting youth and sports minister, Muhajir Efendi, said later on the 28th that a solution must be found for this and that hosting the event is crucial for Indonesian football.
He pointed out that “it is still possible to solve the problem” and “FIFA is understanding what happened in Indonesia, and its attitude is grateful.”
The U20 World Cup will be the first major football event hosted by the Southeast Asian archipelago.
