Crucial England tournament CANCELLED in huge blow to Gareth Southgate’s plans to see stars of the future
ENGLAND’S Young Lions have been left up in the air after Fifa stripped the upcoming Under-20 World Cup from Indonesia less than two months before it was due to start.
Ian Foster’s team, including Spurs duo Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett, Juventus midfielder Samuel Iling-Junior and Borussia Dortmund striker Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, were supposed to discover their group opponents on Friday.
But the draw in Bali was cancelled after the island’s Governor said he would not accept the presence of the Israel side, one of five Uefa qualifiers.
That sparked a series of urgent conversations between Fifa and organisers, with the decision taken to “remove” Indonesia after a meeting in Zurich.
Officially, the decision was because Indonesia has not recovered from the massive earthquake that hit the world’s most populous Islamic-majority nation.
But the row over Israel was the final straw as Fifa would not allow itself to be told who could play in its own competitions.
It means a scramble to find a stand-in host at short notice, although Fifa remain adamant the tournament will take place.
On the decision, a Fifa statement said: “Fifa has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the Fifa U20 World Cup 2023.
“A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged.
“Potential sanctions against the PSSI (Football Association of Indonesia) may also be decided at a later stage.”
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The U20 tournament is due to start on May 20 and run until June 11.
Indonesia, who have no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, were awarded the tournament in 2019.
The country has seen increased criticism towards Israel as protesters recently held marches against their participation in support of Palestine.
Just half an hour before the announcement, Arya Sinulingga, an executive committee member of PSSI, said he was “very pessimistic” about the country keeping the rights to host.
He added: “If we make political requirements in sports, it’ll always be like this. We will be exiled from the football ecosystem.
“It’s very tough for all of us. We’re headed into a calamity in sports. We have to separate football or sports and politics.”