Indonesia has been stripped of the right to host the Under-20 football World Cup, FIFA has said in a statement after protests against Israel\u2019s participation led to the cancellation of the tournament\u2019s main draw.
\nGlobal football\u2019s governing body announced its decision on Wednesday, following a meeting with the Indonesian football federation\u2019s (PSSI) President Erick Thohir, and said a new host country would be announced \u201cas soon as possible\u201d with the tournament set to start on May 20.
\nPSSI had cancelled the draw for the tournament on Sunday, after the governor of the largely Hindu island of Bali refused to host Israel\u2019s team.
\nIndonesia is the world\u2019s most populous Muslim-majority nation and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, while publicly supporting the Palestinian cause.
\n\u201cFIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023,\u201d a FIFA statement said.
\n\u201cA 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.\u201d
\nEarlier\u00a0last month, protesters marched in the capital Jakarta waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and demanding Israel not be allowed to participate.
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