Argentina’s Pull-out from FIFA World Cup Warm-up Dents Israel’s Arrogance

Lionel Messi’s Argentina—even before kicking a ball at the FIFA World Cup in Russia—has managed to win over the world. The South Americans pulled out of their final warm-up match against Israel, scheduled to be played in Jerusalem on Saturday. While the move triggered celebrations among Palestinians and attracted kudos from the rest of the world, Israel, not surprisingly, dished out a generous dose of the “terror” word to express its angst.

From a purely sporting perspective, the match was a trial for the Argentines before the real deal. They have had a far-from-smooth preparation for the World Cup, the March 28 1-6 drubbing at the hands of fellow World Cup qualifiers Spain casting doubts on their credentials to take on big sides.

Israel is not exactly a footballing powerhouse, and so the match would have been a cakewalk for Messi and Co. — a confidence booster at best. The tie, and more importantly the city where it was scheduled (Teddy Stadium in West Jerusalem), had more political connotations than sporting significance.

And it seems the Argentine players felt they did the ‘right’ thing by cancelling the match — the blip in their preparation for a tournament that would define their sporting careers notwithstanding.

“In the end, they’ve done the right thing, and this is behind us. Health and common sense come first. We felt that it wasn’t right to go,” striker Gonzalo Higuain was quoted as saying by ESPN.

UN RESOLUTION AND MASSACRES

The Israel-Palestine issue has been raging since the last century. However, the Benjamin Netanyahu’s government shifting the match, originally scheduled in Haifa, to West Jerusalem, has to be seen in the context of the recent failed American move to get the world to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

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It was clear Israel wanted to use the match, featuring some of the world’s top footballers, as a symbol of victory, no matter how hollow it would be. And when the Argentine Football Federation announced the pull-out, it was reported that Netanyahu contacted Argentina president Mauricio Macri in an attempt to salvage the match. The Argentine government paid no heed to the last-minute attempt at sports diplomacy.

Argentina, in 2010, had recognised the State of Palestine within the borders defined in 1967 (territories of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem). However, in December last year, Argentina, reportedly under pressure from the US, abstained even as the United Nations General Assembly voted 128-9 in favour of a resolution declaring US president Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital “null and void”.

The UN vote result—despite the massive American lobbying efforts which some termed as bordering on blackmail—was a victory for the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the atrocities, including the killing of civilians and forced displacement of Palestinians from Israel-occupied land, mass arrests and arbitrary detentions continue to the day.In an incident which attracted global outrage, Israeli forces killed more than a 100 Palestinians and injured thousands during the Great Return March (March 30 and May 15) for the right of Palestinians to return to their ancestral land from which they were evicted after the creation of Israel.

MESSI MESSAGE

Amidst all the political turmoil came the scheduling of a football match, which was reminiscent of the way Roman emperors used to organise gladiatorial showcases to control the masses.

Argentina’s pull-out was indeed a slap on the arrogance displayed by Israel, despite increasing global pressure.

However, Israel put this latest setback -- via sports this time -- on the terror tactics employed by the Palestinians, attributing it to a security threat.

Incidentally, in 2014, Lionel Messi, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, had shared a picture of an injured Palestinian child on his Facebook page and pleaded for the violence to stop.

“I am terribly saddened by the images coming from the conflict between Israel and Palestine, where violence has already claimed so many young lives and to injure countless children. This cycle of senseless violence must stop,” he wrote.

The statement needs to be seen in the context of the current debate on whether Messi stayed away from Jerusalem fearing for his life and safety, or after feeling for the lives of the innocent people, including children, who live on the firing line.

There are many who hope that this pull-out could strengthen calls for a sports boycott of Israel until its government ends its policies of ethnic cleansing.