JAKARTA – FIFA has frozen funding to Indonesia’s football association (PSSI) after stripping the country of hosting this year’s U-20 World Cup last week.
World football’s governing body, however, reaffirmed its full commitment to support PSSI in transforming football in the country.
“Following last week’s meeting, the FIFA administration had, as a sanction, provisionally recommended a restriction on the use of FIFA Forward funds until further notice,” its president Gianni Infantino said.
In a statement, he said FIFA would thoroughly assess the strategic plan that PSSI president Erick Thohir had presented in Paris yesterday before lifting the sanction.
As a follow-up to their meeting in Qatar on March 29, Erick also shared the Indonesian government’s plans to invest in football infrastructures nationwide.
FIFA removed the 24-team tournament from Indonesia after two regional governors refused to host the Israeli team.
The U-20 World Cup is scheduled from May 20 to June 11 and initially set for six locations in the republic, namely Bali, Bandung, Jakarta, Palembang, Solo, and Surabaya. – Bernama, April 7, 2023
