Bali Governor Wayan Koster defended his decision to reject the participation of the Israeli soccer team in the U-20 FIFA World Cup, saying that Indonesia must strive to protect its founding principles even through sports.

In a statement issued on Thursday responding to FIFA's decision to strip Indonesia of its hosting rights to stage the U-20 tournament, Koster said that Indonesia must work to develop a soccer culture that respects humanity, peace and security.

"FIFA's decision to remove Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup should be a teaching moment for all of us that Indonesian soccer must be built as part of the nation's supremacy," Koster said.

Koster also appreciated the efforts made by the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in fighting for the right to host the U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.

"I appreciate the hard work to have the U-20 tournament staged here without the participation of the Israeli team," he said, adding that FIFA should also remove Israel from the list of countries qualifying for the tournament.

Koster said that Balinese were still traumatized from the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 204, mostly Australian tourists.