Indonesia was officially stripped of the right to host the U20 World Cup after a meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and PSSI President Erick Thohir.
FIFA officially stripped Indonesia of the right to host the U20 World Cup
The World Football Federation (FIFA) has recently made an official announcement about the removal of Indonesia’s right to host the U20 World Cup finals. The replacement host country has not been announced yet. FIFA considers an alternative location as soon as possible. The time to organize the U20 World Cup 2023 (May 20 – June 11, 2023) is temporarily unchanged.
In addition to being stripped of the U20 World Cup host status, the penalty for the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) may also be given by FIFA in the near future.
Previously, the draw to divide the group of U20 World Cup 2023, which took place on March 31, was canceled by FIFA. FIFA’s move was taken right after the Bali government announced that it would not welcome representatives as well as the Israel U20 team to its management area.
Meanwhile, the cause of Indonesia losing its status as the host of the 2023 U20 World Cup finals was not specifically mentioned by FIFA in the new post.
Before that, the head of PSSI, Mr. Erick Thohir had rushed to Switzerland to save the right to host the U20 World Cup final, but things did not go as expected.
According to information from FIFA, the world football organization will still commit to actively support PSSI in the near future, with close cooperation from the Indonesian Government. FIFA members will also be in Indonesia in the next few months and provide support for the country’s Football Federation.
However, the prestige of Indonesian football and the image of the country of ten thousand islands was seriously degraded after FIFA’s decision to deprive itself of the right to host the U20 World Cup finals.