JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Football Association (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir on Wednesday (Mar 29) said he is scheduled to meet with officials from the sport’s governing body FIFA in Qatar amid concerns that the Southeast Asian nation could lose its rights to host the upcoming U-20 World Cup.
“Thank God (we) have arrived in Qatar. All members of the team are ready to meet (and) negotiate with FIFA. Hopefully, there is a way out (and) how (both sides) can provide the best solution for the current situation.
“(I) ask for prayers from the people of Indonesia,” Mr Thohir said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
He, however, did not specify whom he was meeting in the Gulf state nor his travelling companions.
FIFA had earlier postponed, and then cancelled the tournament’s group draw event. It was originally slated for Mar 31 in Bali. The decision came after the resort island’s governor, Mr Wayan Koster, sought to forbid Israel from competing in the U-20 World Cup in a Mar 14 letter to the country’s Ministry for Youth and Sports.
Israel is one of 24 countries which qualified to compete in the tournament.
Mr Koster is not the only politician to openly criticise Israel’s participation in the event. On Mar 23, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo in a written statement said that he is lobbying the central government to stage the U-20 World Cup “without Israel present”.
The two Indonesian provinces each have one stadium chosen as the venue for the U-20 World Cup, which was slated to be held between May 20 and June 11.
Several Muslim groups have also staged demonstrations rejecting the Israeli team.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, does not have any formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
FIFA’s decision on Monday to cancel the group drawing event prompted many football pundits to doubt whether Indonesia will get to retain its rights to host the country’s first-ever FIFA tournament.