Palestinian soccer chief says Israel deserved cancellation of Argentinian game

The head of the Palestinian soccer organization says that Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev got what she deserved in the cancellation of a soccer game with Argentina which was to have been played in Jerusalem.

Palestinian Football Federation chief Jibril Rajoub called a press conference in which he welcomed the decision by the Argentinian team to not play the June 9 game.

“What happened…is a red card from everybody to the Israelis,” association boss Jibril Rajoub says at a press conference, sitting next to a sign reading “From Palestine thank you (Lionel) Messi.”

Rajoub had urged Messi not take part and called on fans to burn shirts bearing his name if he did.

Rajoub says he had written to Argentina’s government asking that Messi not play and accused Israel of trying to give the game “political significance by insisting it be held in Jerusalem.”

— with AFP