What are the FIFA sanctions against Bahrain if he is absent against Indonesia?

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) is under threat of sanctions FIFA in the absence of opposition Indonesia national team in Jakarta in the 2026 World Cup Qualifier.

After hosting the Garuda team on Thursday (10/10), Bahrain is scheduled to play an away match at the Indonesian headquarters on March 25, 2025.

The Indonesia vs Bahrain match is scheduled to be held in Jakarta. But recently, BFA said they were seeking FIFA permission so that the match against the Red and White team would not be held in Indonesia.

This is because BFA is concerned about the safety of players following death threats allegedly made by Indonesian netizens.

PSSI, through Arya Sinulingga as a member of the Executive Committee (Exco), said that the match against Bahrain was still according to the original plan, that is in Indonesia. PSSI also confirmed that it would guarantee the safety of the Bahrain group.

However, if Bahrain’s request to move the venue of the match is rejected, as well as Bahrain not being able to attend the match, a penalty awaits them. This is stated in the FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualification rules.

Based on the rules of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Number 5 Paragraph 2, all Associations absent from the match after the qualifications are round must pay a fine of 40 thousand Swiss Francs or IDR 714.8 million.

This fine can increase according to the FIFA Disciplinary Code Number 16 Paragraph 1 which states that each Association will receive a fine of 10 thousand Swiss Francs or IDR 178.7 million.

The fine is binding and there may be additional sanctions as well. Referring to the 2026 World Cup Qualification rules Number 5 Paragraph 3, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has the right to impose heavier penalties on participating teams that commit violations. However, these additional sanctions were not specifically announced.

So like it or not, Bahrain has to complete the match schedule against the Indonesian National Team. Because only an emergency situation or force majeure allows the game to take place but FIFA does not impose penalties.

Bahrain is currently in fourth place in Group C of the third stage of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers They have five points.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian National Team is fifth in Group C with three points. After drawing 2-2 against Bahrain, the Indonesian national team lost 1-2 to China.

[Gambas:Video CNN]

(June)