The Palestinians welcomed the decision by the Argentine Football Federation to cancel a football match with the Israeli team, calling it “a slap to the Israeli government.”

By: World Israel News Staff

The Palestinians welcomed the decision by the Argentine Football Federation to cancel its friendly football match with the Israeli soccer team that was slated to take place in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), on Wednesday welcomed the decision which came after intense pressure by the Palestinians and other anti-Israel elements.

Rajoub told Palestine TV that the cancellation of the match was “a slap to the Israeli government” for insisting on holding the game in Jerusalem after it was originally scheduled for Haifa, claiming that they would have not fought the game if it were held there.

“The Argentine national team and its star player, Lionel Messi, a sport icon loved by many, slapped [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu by refusing to hold the match,” Rajoub stated, saying this move was political.

“Values, morality and the message of sports have triumphed today and the red card was raised in the face of Israel by canceling this game,” he added.

Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie also indicated that had the game remained in Haifa, it might still be on. Haifa,would have been “more neutral,” he said, according to the La Nacion.

However, the Argentinean team has been facing a viscous onslaught of protests and direct threats to team players and their families by anti-Israel elements.

Rajoub had personally targeted Messi and called on Arab soccer fans to burn Messi posters if he participates in the game.

On Tuesday, Faurie told reporters it appeared the players had been reluctant to travel to Israel for the game.

“As far as I know, the players of the national team were not willing to play the game,” Faurie said, pointing to security concerns stemming from tensions on Israel’s borders and in Jerusalem, AFP reported.

“In the end, they’ve done right thing and this is behind us,” Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain told ESPN. “Health and common sense come first. We felt that it wasn’t right to go.”

Regarding health concerns he was likely referring to physical threats made against the team.

‘There are values’ greater than Messi

Israel was eagerly awaiting the sold-out game at Jerusalem’s Teddy Kollek Stadium and the arrival of some of the world’s best soccer players.

“It’s unfortunate the soccer knights of Argentina did not withstand the pressure of the Israeli-hating inciters, whose only goal is to harm our basic right to self-defense and bring about the destruction of Israel,” Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said. “We will not yield before a pack of anti-Semitic terrorist supporters.”

Israel has largely fended off the boycott campaign, with only a small number of artists and organizations rejecting the Jewish state. Argentina’s snubbing would appear to be the boycott movement’s greatest achievement thus far.

President Reuven Rivlin said it “is truly a sad morning for soccer fans, including some of my grandchildren, but there are values that are even bigger than Messi.”

“The politicization in the Argentinian decision is of great concern. Even in the most difficult times, we made every effort to leave considerations that are not purely about sport off the playing field, and it is a pity that the Argentina team did not manage to do so on this occasion,” he added.

Israeli organizers said an offer had been floated to have the game played in Barcelona instead, but it was highly unlikely.

AP contributed to this report.

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Palestinian threats against Argentine star soccer player Lionel Messi resulted in the canceling of an exhibition game slated for Saturday in Jerusalem. 

By: World Israel News Staff

Argentina’s planned exhibition game against Israel’s national team slated for Saturday at Jerusalem’s Teddy Kollek Stadium has been canceled, the Israeli Embassy in Argentina announced Wednesday, citing unspecified “threats and provocations” against Lionel Messi.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Argentine President Mauricio Macri by telephone on Tuesday and asked him to intercede so that the friendly game between the Argentine and Israeli national teams could take place despite the threats.

However, according to sources quoted by the Argentine daily Clarin, Macri told Netanyahu that he had made an inquiry at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and that he was informed that the players decided not to play the game due to the threats against Messi, the team captain.

Macri offered “apologies” to Netanyahu, who was on an official visit to Argentina in 2017.

Gonzalo Higuaín, an Argentine player, was quoted ESPN as saying that the decision was a right one. He listed health concerns as one of the reasons for the cancelation.

The Argentine national team members said that coming to Israel to play would detract from their ability to prepare for the World Cup, which opens in nine days in Russia.

In recent days, pressure has been exerted on Messi and the AFA by BDS groups and Palestinians not to play in Jerusalem.

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Senior Fatah leader Jibril Rajoub made the call after a demonstration in front of the Argentinian representative office in Ramallah, where he demanded the match be canceled.

By: AP

The head of the Palestinian football federation is calling on Arab and Muslim sports fans to burn photos and T-shirts of Lionel Messi if he attends a friendly match between Argentina and Israel next weekend.

Jibril Rajoub made the call after a demonstration in front of the Argentinian representative office in Ramallah, where he asked Argentina to cancel the match.

The match is scheduled to be played Saturday at an Israeli soccer stadium in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Malha.

“Messi. Don’t come. Don’t whitewash the face of racism,” Rajoub said. Israel’s football federation says Messi is expected to play at next week’s match.

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