TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bali Governor I Wayan Koster in a written statement on Thursday, March 30, insisted that he had not pushed for the cancelation of the FIFA U-20 World Cup but merely voiced his rejection against the Israel national team from participating in the tournament that was initially scheduled to be held on the island. He claimed this rejection was based on humanitarian principles.

Previously, many people vent their frustration on social media accounts of public figures who prominently voiced their rejection of the participation of Israel, which many believe was the main cause behind FIFA revoking Indonesia’s status as host of the U-20 World Cup. The Bali governor was one of the many who were targeted by online rage.

Wayan said his stand was based on three reasons, among others to respect Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution that calls for the eradication of colonialism on the global stage as it goes against the values of humanity and justice.

“This principle was upheld by Bung Karno [referring to Indonesia’s first president Soekarno],” he stated.

Secondly, he said that Israel has been decades colonizing and not respecting the sovereignty of Palestine. The third reason was that Indonesia officially has no diplomatic ties with Israel.

In his views, those values are principles that must be upheld and constantly voiced in public. Wayan also put forth Bali’s identity as a spiritual hub where peace and humanity are respected and that this image must be maintained.

He also claimed there are potential open and subtle threats to the safety of Bali and the Israel national team if they are permitted to play in a U-20 World Cup match on the island, and that he does not tolerate such threats taking place in the region he leads.

“As a fan of football myself, I, as the Governor of Bali, really hope that the FIFA U-20 World Cup will also be held in Bali, but this 'event' cannot be separated from human principles as mentioned by the constitution and Soekarno,” he said.

The former House of Representatives (DPR) politician urged the Balinese public to pray collectively for FIFA’s change of heart and fairness by revoking Israel’s national football team from the U-20 World Cup, as FIFA had done to the Russian national team in one of their tournaments in 2022 held at Qatar.

ANTARA

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