(CNN) Argentina has called off a pre-World Cup exhibition match with Israel following political pressure and claims of threats towards players, sparking outrage from Israeli officials.

Argentina's players decided to pull out of the game, which was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on Saturday, "in solidarity" with superstar teammate Lionel Messi, Argentinian President Mauricio Macri told CNN en Español on Wednesday.

Palestinian officials were outraged by the decision to hold the match in the contested city. On Sunday, Palestinian Football Association chief Jibril Rajoub launched a campaign against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) -- and specifically Messi -- and called on people to burn T-shirts of the soccer player.

"The AFA's acceptance to play with Israel in Jerusalem have reminded us all of how Israel uses sports as a tool to whitewash its actions," Rajoub said in a statement Sunday.

It was unclear if the Palestinian campaign prompted Messi to quit the fixture, and the star has not publicly commented on the matter. CNN has contacted Messi for comment.

Argentina's players reportedly pulled out in "solidarity" with Lionel Messi.

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