Indonesia won the under-23 match 5-2 on Tuesday after extra time, by which time Thailand had been reduced to eight players and the Indonesians to 10 in the wake of four red cards and two all-in brawls.

The match had been billed as a chance for Indonesia to restore some pride to a national game recently laid low by a deadly stadium disaster and the loss of hosting the Under-20 World Cup.

They booked their place in the gold-medal match against Thailand at the Southeast Asian Games with a pulsating 3-2 win over holders Vietnam.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner sat out last weekend's win at Troyes after missing a training session to fulfil commitments in his role as a Saudi tourism ambassador.

But some may now push a little harder against the tide after seeing trailblazer Rio Waida on the Championship Tour of the World Surf League.

He finished in the top-100 in the Fedex Cup points list, his rookie 2021-2022 season earning US$1.3 million. Rai is of Indian descent; hails from Wolverhampton, the United Kingdom; and is currently contending in his second full season on the PGA Tour.

"Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity and without naming the club.

Infantino earlier this week accused broadcasters of offering between $1 million and $10 million to show the Women's World Cup, compared to the $100-200 million they pay for the men's version.

The mascots resemble blacktip sharks, inspired by the species that live especially in the waters of Bali and Raja Ampat, West Papua.

In addition to offering a figure to buy the English Premier League soccer club, Sheikh Jassim's proposal also includes a plan for a further significant amount of additional capital and infrastructure investment, the source told Reuters, requesting anonymity because the matter is confidential. 

Having been awarded hosting rights, Argentina will also participate in Indonesia's place. The team had failed to qualify on merit.

A stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in the East Java city of Malang in October killed 135 people, including more than 40 children. 

Gibran, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said the teams would arrive in June and would benefit from the new facilities set up at the recently renovated stadium.

Despite many hoping that the country could have another crack at hosting an international soccer tournament following FIFA’s cancelation of the U-20 World Cup, Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chief Erick Thohir said that Indonesia so far never proposed to host the U-17 World Cup.

FIFA barred Indonesia from staging the May 20-June 11 event after the country's football association (PSSI) in the predominantly Muslim country said it had cancelled the draw because the governor of Bali refused to host Israel's team.

On the back of a solid season so far, Im is fired up for a shot at the title at the Masters, which runs from April 6 to 9 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

FIFA said the U-17 tournament is still set to take place from Nov. 10-Dec. 2, adding that its Council will designate a new host.

FIFA removed Indonesia's hosting rights over what a PSSI official said was a failure to honour its commitments to the tournament, following outrage among some politicians in the predominantly Muslim nation about Israel's participation.

Argentina has submitted a formal bid to host this year's Under-20 World Cup in place of Indonesia which was stripped of its rights to stage the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday.

International soccer's governing body FIFA stripped Indonesia of hosting rights on Wednesday over what an Indonesian official said was a failure to honour its commitments to the tournament.

Erick Thohir, who is also a senior cabinet minister and a former chairman of Inter Milan, will fly to Zurich for the talks, PSSI Executive Committee member Arya Sinulingga said.

Arya Sinalungga, a member of the PSSI executive committee, said at a press briefing on Sunday that Indonesia had applied to be the sole host of the 2023 U-20 FIFA World Cup, so any plan that involved other countries would likely be rejected.

Both parties were expected to increase their initial offers after the submission deadline of 2100 GMT was extended by merchant bank Raine.

The aftermath of that loss on penalties to Argentina in Qatar has been turbulent, to say the least.

"I think you should look at the [Saudi Pro League] in a different way," he told reporters. "I'm not going to say that the league is a Premier League, that would be a lie."

Ahsan and his partner Hendra Setiawan, two of the tournament's most experienced doubles players and known fondly in the sport as the "Daddies", lost 21-17 21-14 to compatriots Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.

As Indonesia sets out to host multiple international sporting events this year, the Immigration Directorate General has announced a plan to issue a special ‘sports visa’ to help lure global sports fans into the country.