Arab boycott pressure may catapult Israel’s soccer team into the semi-finals of the International Football Federation’s world competition this year without it having played a single game, it was learned today.
The Israeli team is scheduled to play an Indonesian soccer team in a home-and-home meet on July 31 and August 15, but so far Djakarta has not indicated acceptance. It is understood that political pressure has been brought on the Indonesian team which thus far has merely acknowledged receipt of Israel’s suggested game dates.
If the Indonesian team does not show up for the games on the dates–already approved by the federation–Israel will win by default. Then it will be scheduled to meet Egypt–another sure default. At this point the Israel eleven would be scheduled to enter the semi-finals in Stockholm where it would meet its first opponent on the field.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
