I was in Indonesia twice. My first visit was in 2014 and happened to coincide with FIFA's World Cup held in Brazil. (My travels through Java also matched Ramadan but that's for another story.)
I had no idea what kind of relationship, if any, did the Indonesians have with football.
I quickly found out they were mad fans of the sport. More accurately, they are mad fans of the big National Teams, like Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy.
I now know it's common to find avid footballs fans in countries where football leagues are not that strong. But back then it was news for me.
Hearing yesterday Indonesia will no longer host the 2023 U-20 World Cup was a throwback to my living the 2014 World Cup while traveling the island country. And watching the games at 2-3 AM on a small hostel TV was in itself a throwback to the 2002 World Cup (similar time difference between Japan and Argentina). So a mamushka throwback.
I remembered the bar crowded with Dutch tourists and us, 6 rabid Argentinians, screaming to the top of our lungs during the penalty shootout. Higuain's not scoring and the Germans feebly celebrating becoming champions.
Maybe better travel back to current times.
I'll stay away from discussing the politics of this and only say: what a gut punch this is, specially for the players, and particularly for a country with almost no history in World Cups. It's unclear whether the Indonesian team will have a spot in the tournament nonetheless.
And what a surprise turn of events. Argentina, which hadn't qualified, will not only get a bonus chance to redeem itself, but also host the World Cup in two months. Kudos, Tapia! I could learn a thing or two about his networking skills.
I wonder, though, will Indonesians cheer for us this time?