FIFA assigned this Monday to Argentina the organization of the U-20 Men’s Soccer World Cup, from May 20 to June 11, after the withdrawal of this event to Indonesia, which had questioned Israel’s participation.
The draw for the competition, in which Portugal will not be present, is scheduled for Friday, in Zurich, Switzerland, with Argentina hosting the competition after bidding to replace the Indonesians and undergoing inspection at the proposed competition venues. , can be read in a statement issued this Monday.
The president of soccer’s governing body, Gianni Infantino, praised the federation’s stance of a country “that lives and breathes soccer and will be a great inspiration for the stars of tomorrow” as Argentina is the country that has won the most times the tournament, a total of six, the last of which in 2007.
This will be the second time that Argentina has hosted the event, after 2001, and follows the senior world title won in Qatar, in 2022, with the venues and other details yet to be announced in the tournament that begins with a phase with six groups of four teams
The World Cup was withdrawn by Indonesia’s FIFA after a meeting with that country’s federation, PSSI, for questioning Israel’s participation, which had already led to the cancellation of the group stage draw, scheduled for Bali.
The cancellation of the draw followed a letter sent on March 14 to the Indonesian government, calling on Israel to veto Israel’s participation, considering that the country’s policies towards Palestine are not in line with Indonesia.
Israel qualified for the U-20 World Cup for the first time, to be held in the world’s most populous Muslim country, sparking controversy.
The World Cup is scheduled from May 20 to June 11.
Source: TSF
