Jokowi Admits Indonesia Didn't Know Israel Participated In The U-20 World Cup When Appointed To Host

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Capture Youtube Screen @SecretariatPresident)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo admitted that he did not know that the Israeli national team was participating in the U-20 World Cup which was held this year, when Indonesia was appointed as the host. Indonesia hosted the U-20 world cup through a fairly long bidding or selection process, bringing out the top three candidates, namely Brazil, Indonesia, and Peru. In October 2019, FIFA officially appointed Indonesia to host the U-20 World Cup. According to Jokowi, this is an honor for the Indonesian people because they can win the trust of organizing sports events with the most fans worldwide. "When appointed to host, we do not yet know who will be the participating team because it is still in the process of qualifying and ensuring that the Israeli national team will pass the U-20 World Cup selection, we will find out in July 2022," Jokowi said at a press conference at the Merdeka Palace, Tuesday, March 28. Jokowi emphasized that Indonesia has always been consistent in supporting the independence of the Palestinian people and supporting the completion of the Palastna two-state solution with Israel. This, he said, is in line with the constitutional mandate that rejects colonialism in any form. Although Indonesia hosted the U-20 World Cup with the Israeli national team who also participated as participants, Jokowi reiterated that this was not related to the consistency of support for Palestinian independence. "I guarantee that Israel's participation has nothing to do with consistency, our foreign political position towards Palestine because our support for Palestine is always strong and strong," explained Jokowi. "In this U-20 World Cup affair, we agree with the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia that FIFA has rules that its members must obey. So, do not mix sports affairs and political affairs," he continued.