FIFA strips Indonesia of Under-20 World Cup hosting rights after Israel snub | OneFootball

Indonesia have lost their hosting rights for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup this summer after the refusal from Bali’s governor to host Israel.

I Wayan Koster recently announced that the administration of Bali would not entertain the idea of hosting the young Israeli team for the tournament.

This was expected to impact Indonesia as a whole and FIFA have now confirmed that the Asian nation have been stripped from hosting the Under-20 World Cup.

The draw for the group stage was scheduled to be held on Friday afternoon and it has been cancelled in the aftermath of the comments from Bali’s governor.

A statement from FIFA read: “Following today’s meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Erick Thohir, FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023.”

“A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged. Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.”

FIFA are now searching for a new host for the Under-20 showpiece event and it has been reported that Argentina, Peru and Qatar are among the front-runners to get the hosting rights.

Qatar had a brilliant 2023 World Cup last winter amidst the controversy surrounding different issues and they could be rewarded with another tournament in a couple of months’ time.

Indonesia’s failure to host the Under-20 World Cup could have a lasting effect. They could be handed a potential ban in relation to qualifying for future FIFA tournaments.