The Indonesian football federation may be forced to cancel their country’s bid for the 2022 World Cup unless the government promises to give their backing to FIFA in the upcoming weeks.

Nurdin Halid, Indonesia FA President, urged the government to back the bid. He said: “We came here to get the government’s backing and approval for our 2022 World Cup bid,” Nurdin told reporters after the meeting. “We need official approval from the government in order to continue our bidding process. Now it’s up to the government. If they say yes, we’ll continue the process. If they say no, we’ll stop right here.”

The comments come after FIFA had asked the Indonesian Football Association to provide the government’s official guarantee in the next month.

Agung Laksono, Minister for people’s welfare, said: “We appreciate the Indonesian FA’s intention to stage the World Cup, but the government also thinks that national team achievements are important. In the meeting, the Football Association couldn’t answer our questions about the national team’s achievements. We don’t want to just host the World Cup. We also want a national team that could do well in that World Cup.”

Indonesia were well placed to launch a promising bid for the 2022 World Cup after promoting their “green” message. However, since the country announced its bid plans, concerns have grown about the viability of the bid and the seriousness of the country’s intentions.