Lionel Messi
Photo: Reuters
Report: Messi to visit Israel with Barcelona
Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi, along with his Barcelona FC teammates, is reportedly in talks to play a friendly match against Atletico Madrid at Haifa's Sammy Ofer stadium; Israeli businessman Idan Ofer, who owns shares in Atletico, is apparently the one behind the project.
Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi is reportedly in talks to visit Israel along with his Barcelona FC teammates for a friendly match against Atletico Madrid, a fellow top Spanish league team, at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, Army Radio said Thursday.
The event will be produced by the Comtech company, which was in charge of the canceled friendly match between Israel and Argentina.
Lionel Messi (Photo: Reuters)
According to some sources, Idan Ofer, a London-based Israeli businessman who owns shares in Atletico Madrid, is the one driving the project forward. He also insisted on the match to be played at the Sammy Ofer stadium, which is named after his father.
Sources also say that no government ministries or political bodies will influence the event, since the cancelation of the Israel-Argentina friendly stemmed from the pressure applied by the pro-Palestinian groups, who opposed the decision to play the match in Jerusalem.
