FIFA considering sanctions against Indonesia after stripping country of U-20 hosting rights

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FIFA, football's governing body, is considering sanctions against Indonesia just shortly after it stripped the country of its rights to host the under-20 World Cup, according to a statement by FIFA.

FIFA removed Indonesia's hosting rights after an official draw for the tournament, which was due to be held in Bali last month, was cancelled after Bali's governor, Wayan Koster, refused to host the Israeli team in the predominantly Muslim county. This came after protests demanding that Israel be stopped from competing in the games in a show of support towards Palestine.

Indonesia was selected as a host in 2019 which was long before Israel qualified for the tournament. FIFA however, argued that this was a failure to honor its commitments to the tournament. Fans and players were also, understandably, unhappy with the decisions.

"FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023," FIFA said in a statement, The decision was made after a meeting between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and president of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Erick Thohir.

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FIFA noted in its statement that a new host will be announced "as soon as possible" and that the dates of the tournament "currently remain unchanged".

It noted that potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.

"FIFA would like to underline that despite this decision, it remains committed to actively assisting the PSSI, in close cooperation and with the support of the government of President Widodo, in the transformation process of Indonesian football following the tragedy that occurred in October 2022," it said. FIFA was referencing the deaths of about 125 people when a soccer match against rivals ended in a stampede last year.

FIFA aded that members of the FIFA team will continue to be present in Indonesia in the coming months and will provide the required assistance to the PSSI, under the leadership of Thohir.

"A new meeting between the FIFA President and the PSSI President for further discussions will be scheduled shortly, it said.

The news is significant particularly considering how many eyeballs FIFA and football as a sport brings. Recently, Astro released its fourth quarter results for fiscal year 23 and has said that its revenue increased by 7% quarter on quarter to RM991mn, driven in part by higher Adex and a larger broadband base. According to the statements shared total ADEX rose 14% qoq to RM126mn, with year-end festivities and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 driving strong performance across all TV, radio and digital platforms. Radio adex, TV Adex and Digital Adex share stood at 73%, 34% and 2% respectively.

Astro Radio brands registered 17.7mn weekly radio listeners on FM and online. Its entertainment app SYOK also saw listenership increased by 28% y-o-y to 1.1mn while Astro digital brands registered 8.4mn monthly unique visitors.

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