Paraphrasing Prince Hamlet, something has historically smelt rotten in the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Suddenly, the friendly match between Israel and Argentina in Jerusalem has been cancelled. Why, you may ask: threats and provocations against Lionel Messi, they say. Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, AFA’s President, in a Mahatma Gandhian style, said this decision was “a contribution to world peace”.
The cancelled match had been sold out, and countless Argentines living in Israel were looking forward to it. There might even be a diplomatic crisis between both countries due to this one- sided decision. Somehow, we are left with the feeling that we will never know the real “behind the scenes” intentions of this unexpected decision.
Football, politics and business have always gone hand in hand. Little left of just a healthy, popular sport. Almost nothing.