28/3/2023–|Last updated: 3/28/202309:36 PM (Makkah)
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said today, Tuesday, that Israel’s participation in the FIFA U-20 World Cup that his country is hosting does not represent any change in its foreign policy, stressing that there is no mixing between sports and politics, in light of local protests.
Joko Widodo confirmed that he had sent Eric Tuhir, minister in the cabinet and former president of Inter Milan, to Zurich to meet with FIFA officials, after the tournament draw was postponed following protests against Israel’s participation in it.
The president stressed Indonesia’s support for Palestine and the two-state solution, and said that Israel secured a seat in the tournament last July, long after his country obtained the rights to host the tournament.
In a speech broadcast live, he said, “Therefore, I affirm that Israel’s participation has nothing to do with the consistency of our foreign policy positions towards Palestine, because our support for Palestine has always been strong and firm. Do not mix sports issues with politics.”
There are no official diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Israel. Jakarta recently witnessed protests demanding that Israel be prevented from participating in the tournament, which will be held between May 20 and June 11.
Draw postponement
And last Sunday, the Indonesian Federation announced the postponement of the draw, which was scheduled for Friday, due to the refusal of the ruler of Bali to host the Israeli national team.
Local media reported that Bali Governor Wayan Koster called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to “devise a policy to prevent the participation of the Israeli national team in Bali,” due to the conflict with the Palestinians.
Reuters was unable to obtain comment from the Bali governor’s office.
The governor told the media on Monday that he was following a “government position”.
Reuters was unable to obtain comment from the Israeli Football Association.
A FIFA spokesman said that the inspection of the tournament venues had been completed, but he did not comment on the meeting with the president of the Indonesian Football Association or the date of the draw.
On Tuesday, the president did not mention the proposal that Eric Thohir would submit to FIFA.
Eric wrote on Instagram that the case was “not trivial”.
Indonesia faces the danger of withdrawing the organization of the tournament from it, which could push Indonesian football into isolation again after FIFA suspended it for a year until May 2016 due to government interference in managing the affairs of the game.
Indonesia is trying to improve its image after a stampede in East Java last year killed 135 spectators, many of whom were trampled trying to leave the stadium, after police fired tear gas at the fans.
Acting Minister of Sports, Muhajir Effendi, told Parliament today, Tuesday, of the need to find a solution, stressing the importance of hosting the tournament for Indonesian football.
“There is still a possibility to do that. FIFA appreciates and understands what is happening in Indonesia. We are trying some options and the best one that we hope will be the tournament in Indonesia,” he said.
