Alex Scott's plans to represent England during the Under-20 World Cup this summer have been thrown in doubt after Indonesia were stripped of hosting the tournament.
FIFA confirmed Indonesia were removed following a meeting between president Gianni Infantino and Indonesian soccer federation president Erick Thohir. It surfaced because of the political turmoil regarding Israel's participation.
The country were due to welcome 24 countries across six cities, including Israel who were due to make their debut in the competition. However Bali's governor, Wayan Koster, refused to host Israel due to their ongoing conflict with Palestine.
According to Reuters, he had written a letter to the Ministry of Youth and Sports to "forbid the Israel team from competing in Bali." It came after protests were made across the nation's capital Jakarta to ban Israel from competing ahead of the group draw on Friday.
FIFA refused to state the reason in a statement simply stating it was "due to the current circumstances". However, they did confirm they are working to find a new host nation while the dates will remain the same.
It adds: "A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged. Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage."
Indonesia have publically supported Palestine during the ongoing conflict, an issue that dates back over 100 years as Jewish and Arab people fought over land.
England will head to the tournament as one of the favourites with Scott set to play a key role in midfield. Having lifted the Under-19 European Championship last summer, the City youngster has seemingly cemented his place in Ian Fosters' side.
He started two of England Under-20's three games over the international break but unfortunately came off injured in the 83rd of the 1-1 draw with France on Tuesday. Scott was involved in a 50/50 challenge inside his own area which initially required treatment from the physios.
Scott attempted to continue but following a couple of minutes, fell back to the ground with Foster opting to make the change. He will now head back to Bristol where the severity of his problem will be determined ahead of Saturday's visit of Reading.
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