Following protests by Pakistani nationals and others, Israel has confirmed that its friendly with Argentina slated to kick off in Jerusalem has been cancelled.
Recall that Palestinian FA chief Jibril Rajoub had called on fans to burn Messi shirts if the Barcelona star were to partake in the match.
This is in protest of Israel naming Jerusalem as their capital
In a statement, the Israeli embassy said that people around the area were conversant with the “threats and provocations directed at Lionel Messi, which logically aroused the solidarity of his colleagues and fear of playing the friendly.”
“The Israeli embassy is sad to announce the suspension of the match between the Israel and Argentina national teams scheduled for Saturday June 9, as a warm-up for the Russia World Cup,”
“The threats and provocations directed at Lionel Messi, which logically aroused the solidarity of his colleagues and fear of playing the friendly, are no strangers to the daily life of Israel’s civilian population whose sporting stars, to put it simply, have been on numerous occasions the targets of violence and attacks.
“The friendship between Argentina and Israel, which will soon celebrate its 70th anniversary, is not about a football match. The democratic country and plural state (composed of Jews, Muslims and Christians), will always eagerly await the chance to receive one of the stars of Argentine sport.”