Indonesia fined $31,600 for canceling Israel match

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The International Tennis Federation ordered Indonesia to pay a US $31,600 fine for canceling a World Group II playoff match against Israel in Tel Aviv last July, a local official said Thursday. Indonesia is also banned from playing in any Fed Cup competitions next year, said Ferry Raturandang, the secretary general of the Indonesian Tennis Association, who was informed of the decision by e-mail. He said Indonesia had until December 20 to appeal the ruling, which it would likely do. Indonesia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, had asked that the venue of the match be changed to another country. But Raturandang said the decision was made over security, not political, concerns as alleged by the ITF. He said Indonesia was told it must pay US $5,000 for pulling out of the match; US $6,600 to compensate the ITF`s spending on preparations for the Israel Fed Cup, and US $20,000 to the host, Israel.