The draw for the Under-20 World Cup in soccer scheduled for Friday in Indonesia has been canceled, officials said, days after the governor of Bali province called for Israel to be excluded from the tournament.

There is no official diplomatic relationship between the two countries, and support for the Palestinian cause in the largest Muslim-majority country has raised tensions over hosting Israel.

The draw for the tournament, which will be held between May 20 and June 11, 2023 in six cities with the participation of 24 teams, was scheduled for next Friday in Bali, but the International Federation (FIFA) canceled the event without giving reasons or setting a new date, according to what the Indonesian Football Association announced. Foot in Sunday statement.

Officials said a possible factor in the cancellation of the lottery was Bali Governor Ian Koster's call to exclude Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians, in a letter to the Ministry of Youth and Sports last month.

"The lottery has been cancelled. We can understand that because of the refusal by the ruler of Bali," said Indonesian federation member Arya Sinulega at a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday.

He continued, "Israel is participating, and the lottery cannot be held without all the participants."

The International Federation did not respond to a request for comment.

Israel is scheduled to participate after qualifying for the first time to the finals, while Jakarta pledged to protect its participation.

The organizers hoped that hosting Israel's matches on the Hindu-majority island of Bali would lead to solutions, but Koster's opposition cast more doubts.

About 100 conservative Muslim demonstrators marched in the capital, Jakarta, this month to protest Israel's participation.

Football officials in Jakarta fear losing the right to host the first major tournament, and isolating the country spherically by being subjected to sanctions from the International Federation if they fail to resolve the issue.

The country is hosting the tournament after one of the worst stadium disasters in football history, which led to the death of 135 people in a stampede in the city of Malang, east Java last October, including more than forty children.

Officials are trying to polish the game's reputation after being suspended by the International Federation in 2015 for a year, due to government interference in the game.