No evidence for that claim has been provided. Qatar has denied this.
Lionel Messi celebrating a goal Photo credit: Flickr
Israeli sources said on Thursday Qatar was behind the cancellation of a friendly soccer match between Israel and Argentina.
The sources, who are linked to the Israeli production team, claimed that the wealthy Gulf state had promised Argentina it would pay the compensation for the cancellation. They provided no evidence for that claim. Qatar has denied any involvement in the matter.
Israel is reportedly expected to demand that UNESCO condemn Qatar for “the politicization of sports events.”
In a statement on Wednesday following the cancellation, Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev dismissed the accusations that the game was cancelled due to her attempts to make political gain from it by insisting that it be moved from Haifa to Jerusalem.
“The Argentinians never objected to holding the game in Jerusalem,” she said. “The decision stemmed from one reason only – the threats made by terror groups on (Argentina’s star player Lionel) Messi and his family.”
She also attacked left-wing lawmakers, who had criticized her for politicizing the event for her own gain, accusing them of “backing terrorism.”