Polish national soccer team praised for Israel trip despite rockets

The Polish decision was made after its embassy in Tel Aviv consulted with Israeli security officials, reports Israel Hayom.

By World Israel News Staff 

The Polish national soccer team is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Friday for a weekend match against the Israeli national squad, despite security concerns amid the hundreds of rockets fired on the Jewish State from the Gaza Strip over the past few days.

Israeli soccer officials are voicing praise for their Polish counterparts for deciding to go ahead with the trip. The Poland-Israel showdown is taking place in the framework of qualifying matches for the 2020 European Championships.

The game is due to take place at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on Saturday night.

The Polish contingent arriving on Friday is also expected to include some 2,000 fans.

The Polish decision was made after its embassy in Tel Aviv consulted with Israeli security officials, reports Israel Hayom.

The Polish officials were reportedly told that Jerusalem is not considered a risk and were assured that the team would receive a top level of security.

The Israeli team was proceeding normally with its preparations, said star player Eran Zehavi.

“The security situation will not constitute an excuse; our preparation is normal,” he said as cited by Israel Hayom.

Despite a ceasefire announced overnight, rocket fire continued on Thursday into southern Israel.

Israeli officials were still waiting to hear whether an exhibition match between Argentina and Uruguay, scheduled to take place at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on Monday, will go ahead as planned.

The teams reportedly agreed to wait until Thursday to make a decision.

Last year, Argentina backed out of an exhibition match with Israel, that was to take place just before the World Cup tournament in Russia, due to heavy pressure applied by BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) activists on the Argentinians not to visit the Jewish State.