Action Alert

Argentina and Uruguay Players Need to Hear From You: Cancel "Friendly" Match in Apartheid Israel

Football players for the Argentina and Uruguay national teams have the power and the influence to stop the "friendly" match in apartheid Israel.

En español

The Argentina and Uruguay national football teams are planning a “friendly” match in apartheid Israel on November 18, ignoring Palestinian appeals and as Israel carries out attacks on besieged Gaza.

For Israel, this is about using the beautiful game to sports-wash its crimes of occupation and apartheid against Palestinians, including athletes.

For the Football Associations, this is clearly about the money. Argentina even canceled an already scheduled friendly match with Paraguay to make the match in the ethnically-cleansed Palestinian city of Jaffa happen.

We need to reach the players. They have the power and the influence to stop this match.

Tell Argentina and Uruguay players:
Apartheid is never “friendly.” Cancel the match now!

Players need to know they should be standing with Palestinian amputee footballers in Gaza who lost limbs to Israeli army sniper fire, instead of entertaining apartheid Israel.

Players need to know they should be standing with the families of Palestinian children killed by Israel while playing football, instead of sports-washing Israel’s military occupation and ethnic cleansing.

Players need to know they should be standing with Palestinian athletes deprived by Israel of freedom of movement and the chance to compete, instead of covering up Israel’s siege, illegal settlements and apartheid walls.

Tell Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez:
Don’t allow your teams to be complicit in sports-washing Israel’s attacks on Palestinian sports

Last week, human rights supporters in Barcelona went to the grounds where players Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez were training to make a personal appeal to them.

Civil society groups in Argentina and Uruguay are mobilizing this week to convince the teams to stand with Palestinian footballers in their struggle for the right to live and play.

Let’s speak to the players themselves. Let them know that football fans across Palestine and the world want to see sports used to empower and promote tolerance, not to cover up gross human rights abuses.

Take a few minutes to tweet to Argentina and Uruguay players:

to Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez 


to Agustin Marchesin and Juan Musso


to Emiliano Martínez and Juan Foyth


to Renzo Saravia and Marcos Acuña


to Giovani Lo Celso and German Pezzela


to Nicolas Otamendi and Lucas Alario


to Roberto Pereyra and Lucas Ocampo


to Sergio Agüero and Milton Casco


to Guido Pizarro and Leandro Paredes


to Paulo Dybala and Nicolas Tagliafico


to Walter Kannemann and Guido Rodriguez


to Rodrigo dePaul and Lautaro Martinez


to Fernando Muslera and Martín Campaña


to Diego Godín and José María Gutiérrez


to Sebastián Coates and Gastón Silva


to Lucas Torreira and Matías Vecino


to Federico Valverde and Brian Lozano


to Brian Rodríguez and Edinson Cavani


to Maximiliano Gómez and Cristhian Stuani
 


See sample messages and images below that you can adapt for social media posts:

[replace with player names], stand with Palestinian amputee footballers in Gaza who lost limbs to Israeli army sniper fire.

Don't entertain apartheid Israel. Skip @Argentina - @Uruguay “friendly” match.

#RioplatensesNoVayan https://bit.ly/33EmPPh 


[replace with player names], stand with families of Palestinian kids killed by Israel while playing football.

Don’t sports-wash Israel’s military occupation. Skip “friendly” match in apartheid Israel.

#RioplatensesNoVayan https://bit.ly/33EmPPh 


[replace with player names], stand with Palestinian athletes deprived by Israel of the chance to compete.

Don’t sports-wash Israel's illegal settlements and apartheid walls. Skip “friendly” match.

#RioplatensesNoVayan https://bit.ly/33EmPPh 


[replace with player names], stand with Palestinian footballers and fans who’ve had their stadiums bombed by Israel.

Don’t help cover up Israel's attacks on Palestinian sports. Skip “friendly” match.

#RioplatensesNoVayan  https://bit.ly/33EmPPh 


[replace with player names], football fans in Palestine and worldwide want to see sport used to promote tolerance, not to cover up human rights abuses.

Don't play “friendly” match in apartheid Israel.

#RioplatensesNoVayan https://bit.ly/33EmPPh 

 


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