A letter has been sent to the Argentine Football Association, the South American Football Confederation and football’s world governing body FIFA where the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) is advocating for the cancelation of the friendly football match against Israel, scheduled to be played in Jerusalem next month.
The President PFA President Jibril Rajoub has however protested accusing Israel of politicising sport.
He further said, “Israel, the occupying power, has … [acted] in contravention of universal values and norms governing the principles of sport,”adding that the match would cost Argentina its sporting and moral reputation
He also said, “They are also misleading the Argentine public by promoting the city as ‘the united Jerusalem’ for the Jewish people.”
According to comments made by Daniel Benaim – the fixture’s organiser – and carried on the Israeli Football Association’s website, more than 600,000 people have expressed interest in purchasing a ticket for the game. The Teddy Stadium has a seating capacity of 31,733 people.