© EuroFootball.com
Spanish strategist Rafael Benitez is upset because his players will have to travel to war-torn Israel to play the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round match against Haifa's "Maccabi".
"The Reds" were drawn to play the first leg at home, with the return leg on August 22 or 23 in Haifa.
"The situation is ridiculous. We cannot even think about going there," Benitez said on the club's website. "We cannot go to Israel to play a match at this time."
"I feel very sorry for the people who are there right now," the Spaniard continued. "But the safety of each player is more important than anything else, and that means we cannot go there. We just couldn't focus on the match."
"UEFA will have to make a decision quickly, as many of our fans want to plan their trip," the coach explained.
"Liverpool" will submit a written request to UEFA to move the return match to a safer country. This possibility was also confirmed by UEFA representative Rob Faulkner.
It should be noted that Israel is currently at war with neighboring Lebanon.
