Uproar in Israel as Argentina cancels game

Israel is in uproar over Argentina’s abrupt cancellation of a World Cup warm-up match following pro-palestinian protests, with some of the country’s leaders accusing Lionel Messi and his teammates of caving in to terrorism.

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 tickets.

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.