Netanyahu hurts foot in soccer match

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JERUSALEM, June 12 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tore a tendon in his left leg while playing in an Arab-Jewish soccer match, his office said.

In a message broadcast on Israeli television from his home late Monday, Netanyahu, 62, said he "participated in a youth soccer match intended to advance tourism in Israel ... . This was not exactly the Euro soccer games which I will be watching along with many Israelis."

Just minutes into the game Netanyahu slipped but continued playing and scored a goal, the Hebrew language daily Maariv said Tuesday.

After the game Netanyahu's security guards took him to Hadassah Hospital where he was diagnosed with a torn tendon and fitted with a cast, Maariv said.

The game was part of a project to promote tourism in Israel through the international television show "The Royal Tour." Netanyahu began shooting for the series Saturday in a visit to the northern Israeli town of Rosh Hanikra, Ynetnews.com said.