Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub called on Lionel Messi not to participate in the game between Argentina and Israel next week in Jerusalem, and urged fans to burn shirts and pictures of Messi if he participates in the game.
In a conversation with reporters in Ramallah, Rajoub said he had written to the Argentine government demanding that Messi not participate in the game and added: "He is a symbol of peace and love. As a UNICEF ambassador, he cannot serve as a face of the occupation, especially as a resident of Argentina, which suffered from occupation."