Regev: Terror threats only reason for Argentina friendly match cancellation
Showing photos of bloodied Argentine soccer shirts, the culture and sports minister rejects accusations of politicizing the World Cup warmup, saying 'This is the same terrorism that caused the Munich massacre.'
Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev asserted on Wednesday that the friendly Israel-Argentina match was canceled solely because of the terror threats to Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi and his family.
"The game was canceled for only one reason—the threats to the lives of Messi and his family," Regev insisted at a press conference she convened.
Israel was eagerly awaiting the sold-out international friendly scheduled for Saturday night at Jerusalem's Teddy Kollek Stadium and the arrival of some of the world's best players. Argentina is one of the most popular national teams among Israelis and fans had been scrambling to get a chance to see Messi in person.
But after a fierce Palestinian campaign, which included images of Argentina's white and sky-blue striped jersey stained with red paint resembling blood and threats to burn Messi posters, Argentina's football federation announced it was skipping the event.
She showed photos of the "bloodied" shirts, charging that "These are photos of terror elements threatening the lives of Messi, his family and the (other) Argentina team members."
"This is an old-new terrorism, which scares and deters and terrorizes sportsmen. This is the same terrorism that caused the (1972) Munich massacre," she further accused.
She also said the threats were not coming just from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. "These are real threats from terror elements on the life of the Argentine team's star and his family," the minister stressed.
Regev rejected claims that her demand to hold the game in Jerusalem instead of Haifa, where it was initially set to take place, led to the cancellation of the match, calling such assertions "despicable" and adding that "There's no bigger lie than this."
"The Argentine never objected to having the game in Jerusalem. After all, this game was born of Messi's desire to visit Jerusalem, to kiss the Western Wall and to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," Regev said.
"Jerusalem is not a political issue. Jerusalem is the source of pride for the State of Israel and the Jewish people all over the world. Enough treating Jerusalem as a political issue," Regev added.
The minister also attacked members of the opposition, who accused her of politicizing the event by insisting on moving the game from Haifa to Jerusalem and by trying to orchestrate a politicized photo-op with Messi.
"Members of the Joint List were joined by left-wing Knesset members—(Avi) Gabbay, (Shelly) Yachimovich, (Itzik) Shmuli. I can understand if (Ahmad) Tibi and (Jamal) Zahalka support terrorism. I can understand if they're happy about the decision. But you? What are you cheering about? Why are you happy? The fact hundreds of thousands of children won't be able to enjoy (watching) Messi here in Israel?" she charged.
"Instead of backing the State of Israel, you're giving headwind to terrorism. If there was a world championship in gloating, you and your ilk would've probably won it," she continued.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog called the snub a "spectacular own goal" by Regev that delivered victory to boycotters of the Jewish State. Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay called for a police investigation into Regev's "corrupt conduct."
"We just absorbed a shot in the face. This is not just sports," he tweeted. "This, unfortunately, could start an international tsunami."
Pro-Palestinian activists protested outside the sports complex in Barcelona where Argentina is preparing ahead of the World Cup. Some waved the jersey of Argentina’s national team stained with red paint resembling blood.
Earlier, the president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, apologized for cancelling the game, claiming the safety of the players was at stake.
“What has happened in the last 72 hours, the actions, the threats that have occurred have led us to take the decision not to travel,” said Tapia during a news conference in Barcelona, where the Argentine team is training prior to the start of the World Cup next week.
“We apologize. It’s nothing against the Israeli community, the Jewish community and I would like everyone to take this decision as a contribution to world peace,” he added.
"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."
Tapia's Israeli counterpart, Ofer Eini, accused the Palestinians of crossing "a red line."
Eini blamed Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Federation, for “doing all he can” to remove Israel from international football.
While protests are legitimate, Eini charged that Rajoub’s calls for Arab and Muslim fans to burn photos and T-shirts of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi went too far.
The founders of the Make-A-Wish charity talked about the disappointment of dozens of sick children with serious illnesses, who waited for the game in order to achieve their dreams of meeting Lionel Messi.
"We worked really hard to make the dreams of hundreds of thousands of Israelis come true, but thanks to the BDS and the Palestinians, the children who have breathed and dreamed about this special game will not enjoy it," a statement from the charity said. "At the moment, the sport that is supposed to unite, separates us."
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.
