PALESTINIANS and human rights activists have urged two of football’s biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, not to cash in on the “greatest moral issue of our time” by playing a friendly match in Israel.
The Argentina and Uruguay national football teams have confirmed that they will play a friendly match in Israel on November 18.
The classic South American rivalry, known as the Silver River Classic (Clasico del Rio de la Plata), has pitted the two teams against each other for over 100 years and, with close to 200 matches to date, is the most played international derby in the sport.
ASIF BURHAN explores why England v Argentina remains football’s most politically and culturally charged fixture in his new book
Football may not solve the working class’s problems, but it does matter — and politicians know it, writes BERT SHOUWENBURG


