The decision followed protests in the West Bank and other countries amid outrage that Messi would play in Israel. Those demonstrations included threats to burn Messi jerseys and brandished images of the Argentina national team’s jersey stained with red paint resembling blood. As a result, the FIFA soccer governing body banned Palestinian soccer federation president Jibril Rajoub for a year for “inciting hatred and violence” against Messi. The Islamic Jihad militant group responded by firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, setting off warning sirens as far north as Tel Aviv — the site of Monday’s match. But with Uruguay’s head coach already in Tel Aviv, and Israeli soccer players and officials lobbying their South American colleagues, it was salvaged.

Source: Washington Post November 17, 2019 18:00 UTC