Following the cancellation of the friendly Argentina vs. Israel soccer match that was set for this Saturday, sources in Israel are growing worried that nations in Europe will threaten to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest slated to be performed next spring in Jerusalem. The cost of the  cancellation of the song contest could cost Israel some 50 million shekel.

According to the minimal requirements put forth by the organizers of the competition, the host country must pay a 12 million Euro (50 million shekel) deposit in order to show that the country is serious with regards to hosting the event. Should the event be canceled for whatever reason, the European Broadcasting Authority (EBU) can claim the deposit money in collateral.

It is traditional to hold the Eurovision Song Contest in the capital of the country that won the contest the year prior. As Israel won the contest in 2018, it would be customary to hold the contest in Jerusalem, much as it was in 1979 and 1999 following two of Israel’s previous victories. It’s victory in 1979 was not followed by hosting the event again as Israel’s Broadcasting  Authority at the time did not have enough finances to host the event a second year in a row. The event was then moved to the Netherlands and held on Yom Hazikaron in Israel, causing Israel to withdraw altogether from the contest. To this date, Israel has been the only country that was unable to defend its own title in the competition.

Senior sources among the various organizations who are involved in producing the contest next spring in Israel say that there is a very real chance of the event being canceled if politicians get involved.

In a preliminary meeting between members of the EBU and the Israel Broadcasting conglomerate, the EBU said that they will not tolerate any political messages in the contest whatsoever. “They used Ukraine as an example” said one of the members of the  Israel conglomerate. “They almost threw Ukraine out because of its political messages. We need to be very wary. We told them that the Israeli government will not be involved whatsoever.”

Members of the EBU also told their Israeli counterparts that they want suggestions of at least two possible cities that could host the event, and that they do not want to host the event in a city that would cause divisiveness, clearly hinting at Jerusalem. “Our goal is to prevent countries from boycotting the event,” they said.

Cities have until August to submit a bid to host the event. So far no bid has been forthcoming from any other city.

Other EBU demands included a closed building that possessed at least 10,000 seats, and 3,000 hotel rooms with an option for transportation and shuttles around the clock.

Israeli Minister of Sports and Culture said: “the city of Jerusalem is not a political topic. It is the center of pride for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people in its entirety. We need to stop relating to Jerusalem as if it were a political issue. Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel. We have no need to be apologetic about Jerusalem.”

Regev also said that the reason behind the decision of the Argentinian team to cancel the soccer match was that soccer superstar Lionel Messi had received serious death threats regarding him and his family.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)