Israel's sports minister said threats made to Argentine players, including captain Lionel Messi, were the reason for the Latin American country's abrupt cancellation of a World Cup warm-up match with Israel in Jerusalem.
"The decision to cancel the game stems from one reason only: threats by terror elements sent to (Lionel) Messi and his family and other players on the team," Miri Regev said.
Regev had insisted on moving the game to contested Jerusalem and was orchestrating a politicised audience with Barcelona superstar Messi.
She is facing wide criticism over the affair at home.
Regev rejected the backlash saying "there is no bigger lie" than the allegations her decision to move the match to Jerusalem aided in its cancellation.
She said the Argentinians had not objected to that and that Messi had wanted to visit holy sites in Jerusalem.
Although the Kollek stadium, where the match was meant to be held, is in west Jerusalem, it is located in a neighborhood built where a Palestinian village once stood before it was destroyed in the war surrounding Israel's independence in 1948
Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev. Source: AAP
Earlier, Israel's Football Association said it was filing a complaint with FIFA to take action against the head of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, who had called on Muslims and Arabs around the world to burn Messi photos and T-shirts.
Regev said the cancellation had nothing to do with a boycott campaign known as the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Israel has largely fended off the boycott campaign with only a small number of artists and organizations shunning the country.
Argentina's snubbing would appear to be the boycott movement's greatest achievement thus far.
Argentina's final World Cup warm-up against Israel was moved to Jerusalem at the urging of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Source: AAP
The grassroots movement advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel in what supporters say is a way to promote Palestinian rights through nonviolent means.
Israel says the campaign goes beyond Israeli occupation of lands claimed by the Palestinians and masks a deeper aim of delegitimising or even destroying the country.
It has formed a government ministry whose primary mission is to combat the boycott movement.
