Argentina soccer coach complains ‘from sporting point of view’ about Israel trip

Expressing wish that his team wouldn’t have to travel so far for warm-up game just before World Cup, Jorge Sampaoli avoids commenting on tensions between Israel and Palestinians

Argentina's coach Jorge Sampaoli shouts instructions to his players during a friendly soccer match between Argentina and Haiti at the Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Argentina's coach Jorge Sampaoli shouts instructions to his players during a friendly soccer match between Argentina and Haiti at the Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli has complained that his side has to play its final World Cup warm-up match in Israel.

A hat-trick from Lionel Messi gave Argentina an easy 4-0 win over Haiti on Tuesday in Buenos Aires and the squad will fly to Barcelona on Thursday to continue its preparations.

The match in Jerusalem against Israel on June 9 will be its last before traveling to Russia. The game will start after dark so that observant Jews can reach the stadium or watch it on TV without violating Shabbat.

“I’m not the one who decides when we play and who we play,” Sampaoli said after the victory against Haiti at La Bombonera.

Sampaoli stressed he did not want to get drawn into any comment on the tension between Israelis and Palestinians.

But he said: “From a sporting point of view, I would have preferred to play in Barcelona. But that’s the way it is, we have to travel on the day before the match, play Israel in Israel and then from there go on to Russia.

“That is the schedule that the AFA (the Argentinian football federation) have given us.”

All 20,000 tickets for the friendly in Jerusalem sold out in 20 minutes, the company handling the sales said.

Argentina, which was the beaten finalist in 2014, plays its first World Cup match against Iceland on June 16. It will also face Nigeria and Croatia in Group D.

Israel finished fourth in Group 7 in qualifying for the World Cup, behind Spain, Italy and Albania.

It last qualified in 1970.

In the past, Argentina has played Israel several times in friendly matches, usually before the World Cup, suffering a 1-2 defeat in 1998, but crushing the Israelis 7-2 in 1990, with Diego Maradona at the helm.

Most Popular
read more: