Messi-led Argentina arrive in Israel for Uruguay friendly
Published: 12:11 PM, 18 November 2019 Updated: 02:23 PM, 18 November 2019

Photo: Collected
Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates arrived in Israel on Sunday ahead of a friendly match against Uruguay, nearly 18 months after his side cancelled a match against the Jewish state.
The two South American giants will face off on Monday evening in a match expected to pit Messi against his Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez.
A live webcast showed the Argentina team disembarking from a flight at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv and boarding a team bus on the tarmac, without speaking to cameramen.
At a press conference later in a Tel Aviv hotel, coach Lionel Scaloni said that Messi would play in the match despite a punishing schedule, involving a friendly against Brazil two days before in Saudi Arabia.
“Messi plays,” Scaloni told reporters in Spanish. “So you can stay calm.”
He said he would decide the starting lineup at midday Monday after his players had rested.
“They are tired, without any physical problem, but tired,” he said. “So we shall wait until tomorrow at noon.”
Uruguay arrived in Israel on Saturday.
Coach Oscar Tabarez said Sunday that he had been concerned about the trip after seeing images of a flareup in violence which erupted Thursday between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said around 450 rockets were fired at its territory during the fighting and air defences intercepted dozens of them in mid-flight.
A ceasefire was declared on Thursday morning but remains fragile.
“I was very worried,” he told journalists. “Because from Montevideo, for example, they sent us photos of missiles that exploded in the air, and we don’t have experience in that.”
Monday’s match comes after the cancellation of a pre-World Cup friendly fixture between Argentina and Israel in June 2018 that came after calls for a boycott.
The match had been due to be played in Jerusalem, sparking Palestinian anger and criticism of Argentina online.
Israel considers Jerusalem its “indivisible” capital, while Palestinians claim the eastern part of the city - occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed - as the capital of their future state.
The Palestinian Football Association has not complained about Monday’s friendly game, which is to be held in Tel Aviv.
The BDS movement, which calls for a boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians, condemned the fixture.
Messi received a three-month international suspension for comments he made after Argentina were eliminated from the Copa America in July. He accused CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, of corruption and fixing the tournament for hosts and eventual winners Brazil.
He returned to the national team on Friday, scoring the winning goal in Friday’s 1-0 victory over Brazil. - AFP
DailyBangladesh/AN
- Sohug’s fuel production from polythene, plastics waste
- UNO’s ‘calling bell’ service for elderly, disabled
- Delhi factory fire: Owner, manager detain
- 2 SSC examinees killed in Jamalpur road crash
- Rule seeks to demolish illegal structures in Cox’s Bazar beach
- 8 Afghan soldiers killed in suicide car bombing
- Polio returns to haunt Malaysia after 27 yrs
- DU’s 52nd convocation begins
- Dry weather with partly cloudy sky
- Suma, Sohel, Eti, Roman win gold in archery
- Sanna Marin, world’s youngest-serving PM
- E-passport this month
- DUCSU’s first book fair Tuesday
- Miss South Africa crowns Miss Universe 2019
- Begum Rokeya Day today
- Helper killed after being hit by covered van
- Pedestrian killed in Bogura road crash
- Tourists stranded as storms batter New Zealand
- International Anti-Corruption Day today
- ‘100 people near New Zealand volcano when it erupted’
- Salman pays tributes to Bangabandhu
- 16 killed in Uganda landslides
- Today’s Sports on TV
- Motorcycle-auto collision kills 2 in M’singh
- Holy Fateha-e-Yazdaham today
- SpaceX delivers `mighty mice,` worms, robot to space station
- BBPL inaugurated with huge enthusiasm and fanfare
- Unidentified child killed in Capital train-crash
- Remove Mithila, Fahmi’s personal photos from online platforms: HC
- 431 IU ‘B’ unit seats remain vacant
- All News »
- ‘Bangla’ recognized as 2nd official language in London
- Salman-Katrina arrive Dhaka
- Srijit-Mithila’s wedding today
- Three TV channels to broadcast BPL opening ceremony live
- Tahsan marry to Shaon!
- VP Nur’s phone talks leaked
- Mithila’s name changed after wedding
- Salman-Katrina to inebriate BPL stage
- Mithila tie knot with Srijit
- Messi bags Ballon d’Or for record sixth time
- BD scientist photo likely in UK currency soon
- ‘Hotath Bristi’ actress June Malia gets married
- Trump calls Canada`s Trudeau `two-faced`
- Rumpa’s ‘boyfriend’ Saikat on 4-day remand
- COP25 island nation in `fight to death`
- Former England captain Bob Willis dies
- ‘Daughter in admissions scandal’ Olivia returns to YouTube
- Mithila-Srijit’s honeymoon to Switzerland
- 3 of same family incl couple killed in Tangail road crash
- Shakib elected Player of the Year even after ban
- Biman ex-director and DGM detained
- Romantic song featuring Siam-Pori Moni’s chemistry!
- Ali Dacoit killed in Islampur gunfight
- Remittance inflow increases by 31.75pc in November
- US House passed sanctions on China over Uighur issue
- 24 killed as bus plunges off cliff in Tunisia
- Nepal`s mass animal slaughter begins despite outcry
- 629 Pakistani girls sold to China
- WASA’s water pure such claim untrue: Expert Committee
- TikTok sued in US over alleged China data transfer