Lionel Messi has been warned not to play against Israel in the international friendly by the Palestinian Football Association.
The head of the Palestinian FA has called on Arab and Muslim sports fans to burn photos and T-shirts of Barcelona superstar Messi if he attends a friendly match between Argentina and Israel on Saturday.
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.
“A direct message to (Lionel) Messi. Messi don’t come. Don’t whitewash the face of racism, the fascism, the occupation and the systematic violations of human rights and statutes of FIFA. Messi this is a political event. Don’t come. You will gain nothing from this event, the contrary you will lose fans all over the world. All those who respect and abide with the UN legitimacy, respect human rights, respect and abide with the FIFA statutes. Messi we will be against you. Don’t come, don’t come, don’t participate in this political event. Don’t share the Israeli occupation in their crimes against the Palestinian people,” Rajoub said.