Spurs to play pre-season friendly in Israel against AS Roma

Tottenham Hotspur have announced they are playing a pre-season friendly match in Israel against ex-manger Jose Mourinho’s Italian side AS Roma.

The game will take place on Saturday 30 July at the 30,780-capacity Sammy Ofer Stadium in the city of Haifa.

In an announcement on the club’s website Spurs said their players and ambassadors “will be out and about, meeting fans, supporting good causes and immersing themselves in local culture.”

The north London giants added:”Global Football Development coaches plan to support existing projects which bring Palestinian and Israeli children together, using the power of football to unite those from different social, ethnic and religious backgrounds.”

Spurs and Roma will compete for the I-Tech Cup, a format created by event organisers MTR7 to showcase local technologies in a country that is a renowned as a hub for high-tech companies.

Fabio Paratici, managing director, Football at Tottenham Hotspur, said: “We are delighted to be heading to Israel as the final part of our pre-season preparations and I would like to thank MTR7 for providing the opportunity for the Club to visit in July.

“We are looking forward to an exciting fixture against a strong opponent in AS Roma. It will provide good preparation for the start of the new season the following weekend, as we look to build on a strong 2021/22 season.”

This will be Spurs seventh visit to Israel, with the last coming in the UEFA Cup against Hapoel Tel Aviv in November, 2007.

Spurs secured a place in the Champions League last week to complete a dramatic upturn in fortunes under current manager Antonio Conte.

AS Roma meanwhile triumphed in the Europa Conference League final this week.

The match will be the first time Mourinho has played Spurs since his year-and-a-half spell in charge that ended in April 2021.