Bid to Host Under-20 World Cup: Argentina Steps Up as Indonesia Steps Down

Argentina has officially submitted a bid to host the upcoming Under-20 World Cup after Indonesia was stripped of its rights to stage the tournament.

The FIFA Bureau will decide on whether to accept the proposal in the next few days. With the competition slated to start on May 20th, Argentina is the only country to submit a formal offer, and it might likely be awarded the hosting rights.

“We all know Argentine football and surely it can host a competition of this level,” remarked FIFA President Gianni Infantino, citing the excellent facilities the country boasts. He added that while other countries had expressed interest in hosting the event, Argentina was the first to submit an official candidacy with government guarantees.

It’s worth noting that FIFA stopped Indonesia from hosting the event after the country’s soccer federation cancelled the draw, citing the governor of Bali’s refusal to host the Israel team.

The move has drawn praise from Israel, which believes that Argentina deserves to host the championship and is “a very nice and big country, with excellent facilities,” as Israel’s Ambassador to Argentina put it. Some reports suggest that the country is likely to have the support of other South American countries as well.

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