“Shabbat as a day of rest [religiously] and also according to the law, is a central value in the lives of all Jews and our identity as a people.”

The youth wing of the National Union religious party, a part of the Bayit Yehudi Knesset faction, has called on Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev to delay by one hour the coming football match between Israel and Argentina.

The match, Argentina’s last friendly before heading to the World Cup, is scheduled for June 9 in Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium, and kick-off is set for 21:30, and will feature some of Argentina’s footballing superstars including the prolific FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain of Italian side Juventus.

The National Union Youth wrote in their letter to Regev that since Shabbat ends at 20:25 it will be impossible for religious people to attend the match if they so wish, since there would not be enough time to get to the stadium.

In addition, they said that security personnel, support staff and the Israeli players themselves would be forced to violate the Sabbath since they would need to working before Shabbat ends.

“Shabbat as a day of rest [religiously] and also according to the law, is a central value in the lives of all Jews and our identity as a people, and Shabbat also represents an important social value which should be protected and strengthened,” wrote the National Union Youth wing.

“Observing Shabbat in the public domain is a national interest and we must work to strengthen its statutory status as a day of unity, holiness, and connection between all parts of the people.

“We, the National Union Youth, strongly protest the mass desecration of Shabbat which will be caused in this situation and the exclusion of those who observe Shabbat and tradition in our country, the state of the Jewish people, for whom Shabbat is one of the most central and important commandments.”

The Culture Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.