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| Hafid Adim Pradana, M.A. when conveying the material (Photo: Special) |
FIFA officially declared Indonesia was canceled from hosting the 2023 U-20 World Cup on 29 March 2022. FIFA's decision was allegedly due to the rejection of several parties in Indonesia for the participation of the Israeli national team. This has also become a polemic and trending topic on various social media.
It also engages comments and opinions from the International Relations Lecturer at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Hafid Adim Pradana, M.A. He became the speaker at UMMTalks and questioned why the refusal was not made since the Israeli team was qualified.
Hafid, his nickname, said that the cancellation of Indonesia as the host caused a lot of losses in various sectors. Diplomatically, Indonesia will have a bad image in the eyes of the international community. "The rice has become mush, and we must respect FIFA's decision. Unfortunately, Indonesia will always be remembered as a country that failed to host the U-20 World Cup," said Hafid.
Furthermore, the economic sector also suffered losses due to the cancellation of Indonesia as the host. Moreover, the government has spent a lot of money in the last two years, whether it's to build new facilities or improve existing infrastructure.
One crucial thing that became the most significant loss was the failure of the U-20 Indonesian national team to participate in this prestigious soccer event. Considering that the opportunity for the Indonesian national team to appear in the world cup was obtained due to being chosen as the host.
Hafid also underlined FIFA's official statement in the second paragraph. Namely, the cancellation of Indonesia as the host indirectly led to the dark events of Indonesian football in October last year. "I think, even though FIFA has never made a statement to the public, surely FIFA will continue to observe legal progress and the solution to the Kanjuruhan incident. I think it can be said that this country is not very serious in dealing with related issues," he said.
Another thing discussed in the cancellation of Indonesia as the host was FIFA's application of double standards. This was seen at the 2022 World Cup, which was held in Qatar. At that time, Russia invaded Ukraine, so it became a polemic and also a global issue.
"At that time FIFA give the penalty to the Russian federation by disqualifying the Russian national team and not allowing the Russian flag, name and attributes to be displayed on the event," said Hafid.
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According to Hafid, if FIFA takes a firm stance on Russia, it should be applied to Israel because it has started a conflict with Palestine. But that attitude was not done by FIFA. The big reason is that Western countries created and founded the FIFA association.
"So FIFA's jargon that says football must be separated from politics is just nonsense," said Hafid.
Finally, Hafid said that Indonesia must take lessons from this decision. This is also a penalty for the world of Indonesian football. It is time for the government and PSSI to commit to improving the quality of existing football.
"Don't make football as political arena. if you want to host a major sporting event again, it's a good idea to communicate with various parties to reach the same understanding. Therefore, this incident will not happen again," suggested Hafid ending the podcast. (Put/*Zak/Wil)
