{"id":43454,"date":"2018-06-06T09:28:58","date_gmt":"2018-06-06T15:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=43454"},"modified":"2018-06-06T09:36:38","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T15:36:38","slug":"argentinas-national-soccer-team-cancels-match-with-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/argentinas-national-soccer-team-cancels-match-with-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina\u2019s national soccer team cancels match with Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) \u2014 Argentina\u2019s national soccer team canceled this week\u2019s friendly match with Israel after pressure from the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_43455\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43455\" class=\"wp-image-43455 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi.jpg 880w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/198;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43455\" class=\"wp-image-43455 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/messi.jpg 880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-43455\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lionel Messi shown with his Argentina national team teammates after a match against Brazil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, June 9, 2017. (Quinn Rooney\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>After two months of pressure, the Argentinian team\u2019s players late on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the match scheduled to be held on Saturday night at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. The match was to be held just one week before the start of the World Cup in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>Early in April, a boycott campaign sponsored by BDS Argentina was launched using the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jta.org\/2018\/04\/08\/arts-entertainment\/sports\/bds-calls-argentinas-national-soccer-team-cancel-match-israel\"> motto<\/a> \u201cArgentina don\u2019t go\u201d to Israel, or #ArgentinaNoVayas. BDS stands for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.<\/p>\n<p>The Argentine Football Association did not officially announce the cancellation, but the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires tweeted that the match was canceled due to \u201cthe threats against Messi that&nbsp;logically generated the solidarity of his teammates,\u201d referring to Argentina\u2019s star forward Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n<p>The Palestinian Football Association, or PFA, last week urged Argentina to cancel the&nbsp;match. PFA President Jibril Rajoub accused Israel of \u201cpoliticizing sport\u201d by hosting the match in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p>When the boycott campaign was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palestinalibre.org\/articulo.php?a=68030\">first launched,<\/a> however, the match was expected to be played in Tel Aviv. The venue was later moved to Haifa and then to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_43456\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43456\" class=\"wp-image-43456 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize.jpg 880w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/198;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43456\" class=\"wp-image-43456 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Argentina-no-vayas_-soccer-042018-resize.jpg 880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-43456\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image circulated by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement urged Argentina\u2019s national team to cancel a match with Israel. (Facebook)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev responded that the capital was the appropriate place to play such a prestigious game and quipped that it would give Argentina\u2019s star&nbsp; soccer star forward Lionel Messi a chance to pray at the Western Wall.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, demonstrations against Israel and the friendly match were held in Barcelona, where the Argentinian team currently is holding training camp. The protests included&nbsp;burning Argentine flags and waving blood red tee shirts; similar protests were held in Buenos Aires and Ramallah.<\/p>\n<p>Tickets to the match in Jerusalem sold out earlier this month in under 20 minutes. Many of those interested in the 31,000 available seats were Argentinians living in Israel, according to Argentine <a href=\"https:\/\/tn.com.ar\/deportes\/esencial\/rusia-2018-argentina-israel-en-15-minutos-se-agotaron-las-entradas-para-el-partido-en-jerusalem_871677\">media<\/a>. There are between 80,000 to 100,000 Argentinians living in Israel, according to various sources.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday evening, striker&nbsp;Gonzalo Higuain told ESPN that the players had \u201cfinally done the right thing.&nbsp;Reason and health come before everything else. We think it\u2019s best not go\u201d to Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Argentine President Mauricio Macri who said that he is unable to influence the final decision.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman lamented the decision on Twitter, saying in a tweet: \u201cIt\u2019s a shame the soccer team of Argentina did not withstand the pressure of the Israel-hating inciters, whose only goal is to impinge on our basic right to self-defense and bring about the destruction of Israel. We will not yield before a pack of anti-Semitic terrorist supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are horrified that in this game, threats, intimidation and terror was the winner,\u201d the Wiesenthal Center said in a statement Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Israel\u2019s President Reuven Rivlin also responded to the cancellation, saying in a statement: \u201cIt is truly a sad morning for soccer fans, including some of my grandchildren, but there are values that are even bigger than Messi.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe politicization in the Argentinian decision is of great concern,\u201d he continued. \u201cEven 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the days leading up to the cancellation of the match, reports emerged that Argentina\u2019s coach did not want to travel to Israel and risk tiring his players more before the start of the World Cup. Rumors had spread that the Israel team might travel to Barcelona for the friendly match instead. In addition, Regev came under scrutiny for allegedly reserving hundreds of tickets for her office\u2019s employees and for working to ensure that she would have a photo-op with Messi.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Argentina%E2%80%99s%20national%20soccer%20team%20cancels%20match%20with%20Israel\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1491],"tags":[1867,8781,8790,8795,8788,1029],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43454"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43460,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43454\/revisions\/43460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}