What did Palestine gain with the calling-off of the Barcelona versus Beitar Jerusalem match in the Holy City? One must say it is a political victory for the Palestinians.
The match between Barcelona and Beitar Jerusalem is cancelled because the Spanish club refused to play in the holy city.
The decision by Barcelona follows calls by Palestinian leaders to boycott the match. Barcelona did not want to play the match in Jerusalem, perhaps not to offend the Palestinians.
The Israeli football club, whose fanbase is known for racism and anti-Palestinian chants, cancelled the match.
They did not want to accommodate the demands of Barcelona not to play the match in the holy city.
Beitar Jerusalem’s owner Moshe Hogeg said on Thursday that he had received “an unequivocal demand” from FC Barcelona for a change of venue. So he called the match off.
“With great sorrow, I had to cancel the game against Barcelona,” Hogeg wrote in a Facebook post.
“I’m not angry with Barcelona; they are not a political club and have no interest in taking part in our conflict here. Our relationship will continue to be good,” Hogeg says. He adds that cancelling the match was a hard decision.
