Israeli enthusiasts will be able to catch an infrequent glimpse of a plethora of world soccer stars this weekend, with the Jewish state hosting two high-profile matches.
On Saturday, English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspurs will face Italy’s AS Roma in a pre-season friendly at Haifa’s Sammy Offer Stadium.
The game starts at 9:30 p. m. and will be complete with any of the groups historically related to their Jewish fan base.
Beyond the Jewish connection, the fit expected as the first meeting of Roma coach Jose Mourinho with his former club, Tottenham, which fired him just over a year ago.
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He has had common clashes with Tottenham’s current coach Antonio Conte.
But Conte indicated that the animosity was theirs.
“We have mutual respect and our stories in football speak for us. Now everything is fine and there will definitely be a hug between us,” Conte told a news conference in Tel Aviv before the match.
He also praised the welcome of Israeli fans.
“It was amazing for us to get such a warm welcome at the hotel from all our fans. Also sing Harry Kane’s birthday satisfied because it was his birthday,” he said.
“A lot of positive things and we like to locate that enthusiasm. Now we don’t see the time to play on Saturday,” the Italian said.
Meanwhile, the Roma spent time in their education at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, with several of their stars taking the time to pray and place a note at the holy site.
Tottenham, the north London club, has long been linked with its Jewish followers to the extent that its enthusiasts, Jewish and non-Jewish, followed the insulting epithet that Yid introduced through his rivals, and are known as “Yids” and “Yugoslav”. Army. “
Meanwhile, Roma enthusiasts have been targeted by their city rivals, Lazio, which have targeted anti-Semitic and Holocaust-related abuses against Roma supporters, recently posting pictures of Anne Frank dressed in a Roma T-shirt alongside slogans like “Rome enthusiasts are Jews”.
The most productive football teams travel abroad for pre-season matches, either to exercise against the most productive opponents, but also to bring their advertising appeal to life by connecting with remote fans. However, matches in Israel are rare.
On Sunday, the Israelis will see world superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar, when French side Paris Saint-Germain take on Nantes at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium.
This is the year Israel has hosted the Champions Trophy, or the French Super Cup, following the season opener brought to the Jewish state last year through billionaire Sylvan Adams.
Messi last travelled to Israel in 2019 with the Argentine national team for an exhibition match against Uruguay, but missed last year’s match, as did Brazil’s Neymar.
While the Argentine and Brazilian will be among the stars to be deployed, Israeli enthusiasts will be deprived of a glimpse of world cup player Kylian Mbappe, sanctioned for receiving too many yellow cards at the end of last season.
PSG said they would take the adjustment seriously after wasting last year’s game in a wonderful 1-0 defeat to Lille.
“We need this trophy to start the season in the most productive conditions. We know what it’s like,” Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma said before the match.
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