Netanyahu's explicit support for Argentina and wish for Messi's championship; Tel Aviv's ties with the world football champion are in the news again

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Sports Service: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to Argentine President Javier Mili in a telephone conversation yesterday (Saturday): "You are a true friend. We support you and Argentina in tomorrow's game. I wish you success."

 

Mili responded: "You are my friend and you have always supported us. I am happy to hear that you are a fan and supporter of Argentina."

 

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office also released a video of Netanyahu's meeting with Shimon Axel Wahnish, the Argentine ambassador to Israel. In the video, Netanyahu and the Argentine ambassador play soccer, with Netanyahu heading the ball towards the ambassador.

 

At the end of the meeting, the Argentine ambassador presented Netanyahu with his country's national team jersey. Afterward, Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Javier Milli about his close relationship with the Argentine president, and the two sides praised each other.

 

Netanyahu had previously stated that his support for the Argentine national team is not limited to soccer, and that his close relationship with Javier Milli is one of the main reasons for this support. The Israeli Prime Minister also cited his interest in Lionel Messi as another reason for his support for the Argentine national team.

 

These statements came a day after the Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" attempted to reduce public pressure on the accusation of Lionel Messi's support for the Israeli regime in a detailed report and explained the football star's connections with Tel Aviv in the context of sports and business relations.

 

However, Netanyahu's public support for Argentina and Messi has once again turned the issue into a controversial discussion in the media; especially since the Israeli Prime Minister has explicitly spoken of his interest in Messi and support for the Argentine national team.

 

The support of Israeli officials for Argentina is not limited to Netanyahu. In the semi-finals of the World Cup, a number of Israeli officials also announced their support for the team after Argentina advanced to the final.

 

Itamar Ben-Guer, the Israeli Minister of National Security, supported Argentina's victory by posting several messages on the social network "X". After him, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated the team on reaching the World Cup final.

 

Lionel Messi's relations with the Israeli regime have also been the focus of media attention in recent years. Messi's visit to the occupied territories in 2010 and the friendly match of the Argentine national team in the region are among the issues that have been mentioned in media reports.

 

Also, allegations made about the role of the Israeli security agencies, including the Mossad, in providing security for Messi's wedding are among the other issues that have been raised in the media space in recent years.

 

Now, the explicit support of Netanyahu and other Israeli officials for Argentina and Messi has once again put the football star's relations with Tel Aviv in the spotlight of the media, and has raised new questions about the narratives that describe these connections as purely sporting and commercial.