Scorch and Felix were roaming the streets of MysticLand on a warm afternoon. Scorch interrupted the silence, saying, “It has been reported that Indonesia is not allowed to host the Under-20 FIFA World Cup anymore.”
Felix absorbed the news, adding, “Are you referring to the famous football World Cup that happens every four years?”
Scorch, nodding a yes, replied, “FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) U-20 World Cup occurs every two years. The FIFA tournament was planned in Bali, Indonesia, to be held this year. Indonesia and Israel are not friendly with each other currently, and so Indonesia forbade the Israeli football team from entering the country.”
“I see. But why are they against each other,” Orak asked.
There is a long war going on between Israel and Palestine, a sovereign state (a state with its own territory and government). Indonesia supports Palestine and therefore it didn’t allow Israel to enter the country.”
“Why did FIFA select Indonesia to host the World Cup in the first place, if it didn’t have good relations with Israel?” Felix was confused.
“FIFA selected Indonesia to host the World Cup in the year 2019. Later, Israel qualified for the tournament and that’s where Indonesia got into trouble.
The FIFA officials have stripped rights from Indonesia to host the U-20 World Cup as they wanted the tournament to be fair for all countries.
Now, Indonesia cannot participate in the tournament. The World Cup date (20 May–11 June) remains unchanged. FIFA is set to finalize a new host country soon,” Scorch explained.
By now, the Mysticals had reached the MysticGarden which was full of trees with yummy fruits. Scorch picked some ripe fruits from the MysticalTree, and they trod back home.