Khaberni - The Jerusalem Post discussed circulating claims about Argentine star Lionel Messi being "Zionist," showcasing major milestones of his relationship with Israel and the Jewish community in Argentina and delving into the accusations directed against him, particularly from figures and media in Egypt and Algeria.
The newspaper mentioned that Messi's past resurfaced during the current World Cup, as Argentina is set to play against Switzerland in the quarterfinals today Saturday (American time).
It added that some critics of Israel pointed to his past activities to prove that supporting Argentina is the anti-Zionist choice, urging support for Switzerland in this instance.
In this context, the Jerusalem Post literally said: "Before the match kicks off, we take a look at 10 moments from Messi's career.. where his personality and fame intertwined with Jewish and Israeli culture through his public appearances, his peace initiatives, and the controversy surrounding him.."
In 2011, he participated in a campaign to remember the victims of the 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing in Buenos Aires, and in 2013, he sent a message of encouragement to the Argentine team participating in the "Maccabiah Games," known as the "Jewish Olympics," in Israel, visiting that same year with Barcelona as part of a "Peace Tour," and practiced prayer rituals at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), met then President of Israel Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the club participated in sports activities with Israeli and Palestinian children.
In 2014, Messi supported a "Match for Peace" initiated by the late Pope Francisco to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but he did not participate due to injury.
The newspaper reported that in 2016, Messi was attacked in the media in Egypt after he donated his sports shoes to a charity auction, with a former official of the Egyptian Football Association describing him as "Jewish" and "Zionist," citing his previous visits to Israel. Azmi Megahed, the spokesperson for the Egyptian Football Association at the time, said: "I know he is Jewish, and he donated to Israel and visited the Western Wall and so forth… We don't need his shoes, and the poor of Egypt don't need help from someone with a Jewish or Zionist nationality."
In 2018, the friendly match that was to take place between Argentina and Israel was canceled after a campaign and pressure led by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, amid reports of threats received by Messi, and in the same year, the International Football Federation (FIFA) penalized the chairman of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub after he called on fans to burn Messi jerseys and pictures if he played in the canceled match.
In 2019, the Argentine national team returned to play a friendly match in Tel Aviv despite the boycott movement protests, and Messi scored a goal in that match in the presence of then Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Between 2017 and 2020, Messi also had endorsement deals with two Israeli companies, Sirin Labs and OrCam.
The newspaper said that Messi faced accusations just days ago after Argentina's win over Algeria in the World Cup, where an analyst on Algerian television accused him of being protected by "the Jewish lobby," and some pro-Palestinian activists called for supporting Argentina's opponents due to Messi's past relations with Israel.
In the end of its report, the Jerusalem Post said that the World Zionist Organization used a verbal manipulation related to Messi in an educational video in Hebrew issued in 2020, explaining that the Hebrew word "mesibah" means "party," or "fiesta" in Spanish. In Spanish, this word appears as "Messi Va," which means "Messi goes." In other words, "if Messi goes, there will be a party."
In conclusion, it can be said that the newspaper did not attribute any statement to Messi confirming that he is a Zionist, and merely presented stations from his relationships with Israel and Jews in Argentina.
