Argentina have suffered a slight set-back in their preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup finals in Russia after their planned friendly international against Israel has been cancelled.

Jorge Sampaoli’s side were due to face Israel at the Teddy Stadium on Saturday in their final warm-up match for the World Cup in Russia.

However, the Israeli embassy has confirmed that the match has been called off, citing threats to Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

The game had been a subject of controversy as it was set to be played in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Malha, which is situated on the site of a former Palestinian village destroyed during the war that established Israel 70 years ago.

The move comes in the wake of Palestinian Football Federation chief Jibril Rajoub calling on Arab and Muslim fans to burn photos and T-shirts of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi if he attended the game.

Argentine FA vice president Hugo Moyano said threats to the team as they trained in Barcelona were affecting the players’ families after photos on social media showed an Argentina shirt stained in blood.

On Tuesday, a group of Catalan pro-Palestinian protesters called out the names of the players and asked them not to participate in the “cover-up” of a social conflict.

News of the game being cancelled was celebrated by Palestinians. In Gaza, people cheered and in Ramallah in the West Bank, the Palestinian FA issued a statement thanking Messi and his colleagues for cancelling the game, saying: “The Palestinian FA thanks Argentina’s players led by star Messi for refusing to be used to serve a non-sporting goal.”