Calls grow to cancel Italy-Israel football match.The Russian embassy in Rome has accused Italy's sports minister of double standards over the government's defence of an upcoming football match against Israel.The criticism arrived on Tuesday after sports minister Andrea Abodi defended Israel's presence in sporting competitions, arguing that excluding Israeli athletes would mean "a further step backwards from the role of sport, which is meant to unite." The minister was responding to a journalist's question about the appropriateness of barring Israeli athletes from international sports competitions, to put pressure on Israel's government in relation to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Abodi, speaking at the annual Rimini Meeting, described Russia's war in Ukraine as "a much bloodier, much more aggressive act, which affected the sovereignty of a nation that should be supported, sustained and defended." 'Double standards' Moscow's embassy in Rome hit back with a lengthy Facebook post, describing Abodi's intervention as "a prime example of the 'double standards' of representatives of the Western establishment!" "It would be desirable for the Italian authorities to refrain from making statements, through their sports officials, who are responsible for preparing for the Olympics, that distort the meaning and significance of the task entrusted to them", the embassy wrote. The Olympic reference relates to the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, in which Russians and Belarusians are barred from participating except as individual, neutral athletes. The Russian embassy welcomed Abodi's opinion that sport must unite, not divide, before accusing the minister of contradicting himself. "Unfortunately, the Italian minister, as the Russian phrase goes, 'started great, ended miserably'" - the embassy charged - "It would be interesting to know what criteria are used in Italy to determine the bloodiness of a given conflict." Calls to cancel Italy-Israel game The row comes amid growing calls for Israel to be excluded from international sporting competitions including the qualifiers for the next World Cup, which include the match between Italy and Israel on 14 October in Udine. The centre-left opposition Partito Democratico (PD) party recently launched an appeal in parliament to have the upcoming match cancelled, while an online petition calling for the same outcome has surpassed 19,000 signatures. Earlier this month Abodi insisted that the Italy-Israel match would go ahead as scheduled, telling reporters: "Russia is an aggressor, Israel was attacked, perhaps this is completely forgotten." Since then, the Italian coaches' association, Assoallenatori, has appealed to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), calling on UEFA and FIFA to suspend Israel from international sporting competitions due to the war in Gaza. Photo credit: QIAN JUN / Shutterstock.com.

The Russian embassy in Rome has accused Italy's sports minister of double standards over the government's defence of an upcoming football match against Israel. The criticism arrived on Tuesday after sports minister Andrea Abodi defended Israel's presence in sporting competitions, arguing that excluding Israeli athletes would mean "a further step backwards from the role of sport, which is meant to unite." The minister was responding to a journalist's question about the appropriateness of barring Israeli athletes from international sports competitions, to put pressure on Israel's government in relation to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Abodi, speaking at the annual Rimini Meeting, described Russia's war in Ukraine as "a much bloodier, much more aggressive act, which affected the sovereignty of a nation that should be supported, sustained and defended." 'Double standards' Moscow's embassy in Rome hit back with a lengthy Facebook post, describing Abodi's intervention as "a prime example of the 'double standards' of representatives of the Western establishment!" "It would be desirable for the Italian authorities to refrain from making statements, through their sports officials, who are responsible for preparing for the Olympics, that distort the meaning and significance of the task entrusted to them", the embassy wrote. The Olympic reference relates to the upcoming , in which Russians and Belarusians are barred from participating except as individual, neutral athletes. The Russian embassy welcomed Abodi's opinion that sport must unite, not divide, before accusing the minister of contradicting himself. "Unfortunately, the Italian minister, as the Russian phrase goes, 'started great, ended miserably'" - the embassy charged - "It would be interesting to know what criteria are used in Italy to determine the bloodiness of a given conflict." Calls to cancel Italy-Israel game The row comes amid from international sporting competitions including the qualifiers for the next World Cup, which include the match between Italy and Israel on 14 October in Udine. The centre-left opposition Partito Democratico (PD) party recently launched an appeal in parliament to have the upcoming match cancelled, while an  calling for the same outcome has surpassed 19,000 signatures. Earlier this month Abodi insisted that the Italy-Israel match would go ahead as scheduled, telling reporters: "Russia is an aggressor, Israel was attacked, perhaps this is completely forgotten." Since then, the Italian coaches' association, Assoallenatori, has appealed to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), calling on UEFA and FIFA to suspend Israel from international sporting competitions due to the war in Gaza. Photo credit: QIAN JUN / Shutterstock.com.