Denying Jokowi, PDIP Politicians Call The World Cup Impossible To Be Separated From Politics

Member of Commission X DPR RI from the PDIP faction, Andreas Hugo Pareira (Photo: Nailin In Saroh/VOI)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission X DPR RI from the PDIP faction, Andreas Hugo Pareira, denied President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)'s statement asking not to mix sports affairs with politics, in responding to the polemic of Israel's participation in the U-20 World Cup. According to Andreas, the U20 World Cup which is planned to be held in Indonesia cannot be separated from politics. Because, he said, football tournaments are part of a human social life system that includes economy, security, development, including political decisions. "As a football tournament event, especially a football tournament like a world trophy, it is impossible to be separated from politics," Andreas told reporters, Wednesday, March 29. Andreas explained that technical preparation and football matches should not be mixed with politics, because it will definitely damage football's achievements and games as a spectacle. However, there are things that cannot be separated from political decisions. For example, Andreas continued, FIFA had decided to eliminate Russia from the 2022 World Cup because of pressure from several European countries. This, according to him, was due to Russian considerations which were considered aggressor countries to attack Ukraine. "So the best thing to make a major tournament like a world trophy a success is how to synergize various elements of the subsystem so that it exists in a collaborative view to make the world cup a success," Andreas explained. Even so, Andreas appreciated the government's steps through SOE Minister Erick Thohir as well as PSSI General Chair to meet FIFA looking for the best solution. According to him, football must be able to create world peace. "What the government did by sending Erick Tohir explained Indonesia's attitude and convinced FIFA of the attitude of Indonesia against colonialism above the world and realizing world peace as the goal of the state," he said. "Sports, in this case, football should also be present as an instrument that bridges the creation of world peace," added Andreas. Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had guaranteed that the participation of the Israeli national team in the 2023 U-20 World Cup was not related to Indonesia's foreign political consistency in Palestine. "Because our support for Palestine is always strong and strong," Jokowi said in a statement broadcast on the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat, Tuesday, March 28 evening. Jokowi also stated that the Indonesian government agrees with the Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair Al-Shun, in matters of the Indonesian U-20 World Cup. "That FIFA has rules that its members must obey. So do not mix sports affairs with political matters," he emphasized.