Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל מכבי תל אביב; Moadon Kaduregel Maccabi Tel Aviv) is an Israeli professional football club from Tel Aviv and part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Sport Club.
Founded in 1906 in Jaffa as the HaRishon Le Zion-Yafo Association, it is the oldest football club in Israel. With the establishment of the city of Tel Aviv in 1909, the club changed its name to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1922, it became the first Jewish football club to participate in local competitions. The meaning of the name Maccabi forms an integral part of the character of the team, which took the Star of David as their logo to represent the Jewish people. Maccabi Tel Aviv have won more titles than any other Israeli club, winning 25 League Championships, 24 State Cups, 8 Toto (League) Cups,[2] and 2 Asian Champion Club Tournaments before Israel were expelled from the AFC in 1974.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is the only football team that has never been relegated from the Israeli Premier League and one of only three Israeli teams to ever progress to the UEFA Champions League group stage. The club is named after the Maccabees and invests in the development and nurturing of young talent: the club runs three football academies in the Tel Aviv area as part of its youth programme, working with over 750 children aged 6–15, as well as running 17 youth teams with 400 players between 9 and 19 years old. These teams tend to compete very successfully in local and national leagues.[3]
History
Before 1950
Maccabi Tel Aviv, 1913
In the early 1920s, despite the absence of an organised league, Maccabi Tel Aviv were known as the strongest football team in Palestine and were invited to numerous friendly matches, even against British teams of the local Mandate. Official tournaments began taking place in 1928 with the establishment of the Football Association and FIFA's recognition of Israeli football. In 1929, the team won their first trophy after beating Maccabi Hashmonai Jerusalem 4–0. Maccabi took the championship again one year later with a 2–1 victory over the British Army's 48th regiment and a third time in 1933, when Hapoel Tel Aviv were beaten, 1–0.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, 1921
In 1936, the club was invited to play in the United States. On their way there, Maccabi played in France, losing 2–0 to Racing Paris and 3–1 to Lille. In the United States, Maccabi defeated the All-star team of New York City in front of 50,000 in Yankee Stadium.[4] Maccabi also defeated the American Soccer League team in Brooklyn and Philadelphia on their home ground 1–0 and also played in Canada, where they drew 1–1 with Toronto All-Stars. Maccabi continued their tour in the US and lost, 3–2, to St. Louis Stars and the Boston Celtics.
Maccabi Tel Aviv in Australia, 1939
After returning from the United States, Maccabi players went on strike because they had not been paid. In 1937, after a year of strike action, the Football Association accepted their demands and the team ended their strike. In that year, Maccabi Tel Aviv also won their first league title. In 1939, after the start of World War II, Maccabi won their second championship. At the end of the season, Maccabi went to another tour, this time to Australia[4] where they were known as the "Palestine" team and occasionally the Maccabi Palestine team. They played 18games, winning 11, losing 5 and drawing 2. The games were against State sides (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), regional sides and five "tests" against the Australian national team, winning one, drawing one and losing three.
Shmuel Ginzburg played for Maccabi Tel Aviv from 1936 to 1943 and contributed to the team's cup win in 1941.
In 1941 Maccabi won their first "double",[4] Winning both the league and State Cup, beating Hapoel Tel Aviv, 2–1, in the final. Between 1941 and 1945, the league was suspended because of the war, but Maccabi continued playing friendly matches. In 1946, the league was still suspended but the State Cup returned with Maccabi beating Hapoel Rishon LeZion 6–0 on aggregate in the final. In 1947, the league resumed and Maccabi won it as well as reaching the cup final. In the match against Beitar Tel Aviv at the Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium Maccabi were winning 3–2 when the referee disallowed a goal by Beitar. The Beitar players and their supporters stormed at the referee and Beitar defender Yom-Tov Mansherov broke the Cup. As a result, the referee ended the game and Maccabi were awarded a technical victory, thus winning a second double. Forty-five years later the cup was found in Petah Tikva.
This decade is considered Maccabi Tel Aviv's "Golden Age", in which they won five championships and four Israel Football Association Cups.[2] The "Golden Age" actually began with the establishment of the State of Israel, with Maccabi Tel Aviv winning the league title in the 1949–50 season. The deciding match of the season was the second Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv, which Maccabi won, 1–0, thanks to a goal from striker Yosef "Yosale" Merimovich that sealed Maccabi Tel Aviv's first post-colonisation championship title.[5] Merimovich was just one member of a squad of outstanding players that left Maccabi Tel Aviv unchallenged in their domination of the Israeli Premier League during the 1950s. That squad included the likes of defenders Itzhak Schneor and Eli Fuchs, goalkeeper Avraham Bandouri, striker Zvi Studinski and of course the club's legendary centre forward Yehoshua "Shiye" Glazer. Glazer, who won the top scorer title in 1952 with 27 goals, is considered Maccabi Tel Aviv's greatest ever striker and was the club's highest goal scorer until Avi Nimni broke his record in 2003.[6]
Maccabi team after winning the 1946 State CupNoach Reznik with the State Cup, 1957
The 1951–52 season was Maccabi's second league title after the establishment of the State, which they won by eight points ahead of Maccabi Petah Tikva, though they lost the IFA Cup final.[5] That loss only inspired them to win an historic first double in the 1953–54 season, once again winning the league ahead of Maccabi Petah Tikva. That year's Cup final provided them with the opportunity to put in one of their most devastating performances, crushing their opponents Maccabi Netanya 4–0 with a brace from Glazer and individual goals from Studinski and midfielder Israel Halivner.[5]
It was the following season that the great Hapoel Petah Tikva team of midfielder Nahum Stelmach and associates burst on the scene and captured the championship from Maccabi Tel Aviv after a down to the wire finish.[5] Still, Maccabi Tel Aviv weren't prepared to surrender all the titles that season and came up trumps in a 3–1 victory over the same Hapoel Petah Tikva in the IFA Cup final. Maccabi went on to beat them to the title in two more seasons, 1955–56 and 1957–58, completing their fifth National Championship in the first decade of the modern state of Israel.[5] That final season title was complemented by a double, with Maccabi beating Hapoel Haifa in the IFA Cup final, 2–0.
The following season Maccabi Tel Aviv won their second consecutive IFA Cup in a final that will be remembered as one of the most famous in the entire history of the competition. Maccabi appeared to be cruising to victory with a seemingly unassailable 4–0 lead just ten minutes from time. But within five of those final ten minutes Hapoel Petah Tikva pulled back three of those goals, guaranteeing one of the most exciting finales in IFA Cup history. But in the end Maccabi held on to celebrate yet another IFA Cup triumph.[5]
1960s
Maccabi Tel Aviv's original logo
Following the "Golden Years" of the 1950s,[5] Maccabi Tel Aviv found themselves as the new decade began challenged and ultimately eclipsed by the emergent HaPoel Petach Tikva, who during the late 1950s and early 1960s won five consecutive league titles. The second of those championships, in 1960, came at Maccabi's expense, with the Yellows leading the table on the last day of the season only to disappointingly lose their final match to Hapoel Haifa thereby handing the championship to Hapoel Petah Tikva.[7] The outstanding player of Maccabi's season had been Rafi Levi, one of the greatest strikers in the club's history, who was the league's leading goal scorer with 19 goals. A year later the Brazilian club Santos visited Israel,[7] along with their legendary player, Pelé, for a friendly match against a side composed of the best players from both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Petah Tikva. But even the combined forces of the two best clubs in the country were no match for the Brazilians, who won, 3–1.
After a number of unremarkable seasons, the 1960s saw the return of Maccabi Tel Aviv with one of their greatest coaches, Jerry Beit haLevi. He had served the club as a player in the 1930s and, with the exception of one year, managed the club for the 10 years between 1947 and 1957.[8] Under his guardianship Maccabi Tel Aviv slowly returned to form and in the 1963–64 season won the Israel Football Association Cup after a second replay against Hapoel Haifa, which Maccabi won, 2–1. The following season Maccabi Tel Aviv repeated the feat by exactly the same score, this time in a dramatic extra time victory over Bnei Yehuda that included goals by midfielders Moshe Asis and Rafi Baranes.[7] In the 1966–67 season Maccabi added a third IFA Cup.[2] This time the opponent in the final were city rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv whom Maccabi defeated by the very same 2–1score line, with goals from midfielder Uri Kedmi and striker Rachamim Talbi.
Giora Spiegel, played for the club in the years 1965–1973
While the Cup competition was held as scheduled that year, the league was interrupted by the Six-Day War and was extended into 1968. Now coached by their former midfielder Israel Halivner, Maccabi Tel Aviv won their first and only championship of the decade after a combined 60 match weeks, leading Hapoel Petah Tikva by three points at the top of the Israel Premier League table. But by far the most memorable event of the decade was Maccabi's success in the Asian Champion Club Tournament in 1969,[2] becoming the second Israeli football club to win an international competition in the country's history. Now managed by former striking great Yossele Merimovich, Maccabi beat South Korean side Yangzee FC in extra time through a goal by striker Dror Bar Nur.
A less successful decade for Maccabi Tel Aviv perhaps, but the club still managed to win one championship and three Israel Football Association Cups.[2] Among the great names of the decade were midfielder Nissim Bachar, defender Meir Nimni, defender Menachem "Miko" Bello, defender Tzvika Rosen, goalkeeper Haim Levin, midfielder Moshe Asis, striker Rafi Levi and midfielder Giora Spiegel.
1970s
Jerry Beit haLevi won 10 championships and eight state cups with Maccabi as a player, coach and chairman.
By Maccabi Tel Aviv standards, the 1960s had not been a particularly successful decade. With the coming of the 1970s, all that was about to change. The very first year of the decade was a stellar indication of that change as the team, under the able leadership of David Schweitzer, won an historic double.[2] The Israeli Football Association (IFA) Cup final was won with a 2–1 victory over Maccabi Netanya.[9] The league title on the other hand was ensured only on goal difference, but one that was built in part upon one of the finest performances in the club's history, a 5–0 thrashing of city rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Tel Aviv derby. On a rainy day at the end of January 1970, 20,000 spectators saw Maccabi midfielder Giora Shpiegel score a hat-trick to lead his side to victory.[9] But despite that defeat, Hapoel stayed neck-and-neck with Maccabi until the last week and it was Hapoel who found themselves in second place on goal difference when the season reached its conclusion.
The following season was a weak one for Maccabi Tel Aviv that saw them finish tenth in the league table.[9] But just one year later they were fully back on track winning their second championship of the decade in the 1971–72 season.[2] One of the stars of that season, and one of the greatest strikers in the club's history, was Dror Bar Nur, who scored 16 of the club's 45 goals in the league and added two more in other competitions.
Just four years later Maccabi Tel Aviv found themselves for the first time in a relegation battle, with the final week of the 1975–76 season seeing no less than nine clubs battling it out to stay in the upper tier. Maccabi beat Beitar Jerusalem 2–0 with goals from strikers Rachamim Talbi and Benny Tabak, thus escaping what would have been the first drop in the club's history.[9] In April of that same year, leaders of the English Football League First Division, Queens Park Rangers, arrived in Israel for a friendly to face a Maccabi Tel Aviv side bolstered by three of the Israeli Premier League's brightest stars of the time: Maccabi Netanya strikers Mordechai "Motaleh" Spiegler and Oded Machnes and Beitar Jerusalem midfielder Uri Malmilian. Maccabi won the match, 2–1, with goals from Malmilian and Spiegler.[9]
A year later and once again Maccabi Tel Aviv went from near disaster to the league summit, securing in the 1976/77 season their second double of the decade.[2] They won the title three points ahead of Maccabi Jaffa and with 47 goals, the highest number in the league. Striker Vicky Peretz finished as the league's leading goal scorer with 17 league goals and another five in IFA Cup competition.[9] But it was Benny Tabak's lone goal against Beitar Tel Aviv in front of 30,000 spectators at Bloomfield Stadium that earned Maccabi the IFA Cup and their second double in the space of seven years.
Among the great Maccabi players of the time were strikers Benny Tabak and Vicky Peretz and the late Avi Cohen, who earned the nickname "Libero" (from the Italian, a fullback who is given freedom– libero– to roam from his position to play a role in offence as well) and is thought to be one of the greatest defenders in the history of Israeli football. One of his most memorable goals was in a 2–0 derby victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in 1978, when the defender struck an absolutely unstoppable ball from the edge of the area straight into the opposition net.[9] Vicky Peretz and Benny Tabak are remembered as two of the greatest strikers in the history of the club, with the former scoring 67 and the latter 121 goals[6] in the yellow and blue jersey of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The 1980s saw a period of below par achievements for Maccabi Tel Aviv FC, earning the decade the nickname the "thin years". While adding two Israel Football Association (IFA) Cups to the trophy cabinet,[2] the club remained without a league title throughout the decade. The first of the two consecutive IFA Cup triumphs, however, was won in dramatic fashion in a final against Maccabi Haifa in the 1986–87 season. While Maccabi Tel Aviv, third in the table, finished six places above their northern namesakes, the Cup final was a tight affair that ended 3–3 after extra time and was decided in a penalty shoot-out. And it was striker Benny Tabak's final kick that saw Maccabi Tel Aviv lift their first IFA Cup in ten years.[10]
The following season Maccabi Tel Aviv, now under the stewardship of Giora Spiegel,[11] underwent their worst defeat in the club's history, a 0–10 rout suffered at the hands of that same Maccabi Haifa.[10] Yet only three weeks later the club appeared in their second consecutive intriguing IFA Cup final, this time against their arch big city rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv. Despite the fresh memories of their lacklustre performance in Haifa the team succeeded in returning to form thanks to a wonderful goal by midfielder Mickey Cohen and yet another from Benny Tabak that led to a 2–1 victory and a second straight IFA Cup title.[10]
Another memorable event of the 1980s occurred at the beginning of the decade, in a match against Beitar Jerusalem held at the YMCA Stadium in Jerusalem in the second matchweek of the 1981–82 season. The match referee Avraham Klein, of international reputation, disallowed a Beitar goal but the players continued to celebrate. Maccabi defender Menahem "Miko" Belo quickly resumed play, passed on to midfielder Moti Ivanir who found himself facing the Beitar keeper Yossi Mizrachi on his own. To the great ire of the local fans he scored the goal that would ultimately lead to a 1–2 Maccabi victory.[10]
Despite the less than scintillating nature of Maccabi's performances throughout the decade, the club had a number of outstanding players, including Moti Ivanir, midfielder Alon Natan, goalkeeper Bonni Ginzburg and striker Eli Driks who succeeded in leaving their mark on the club's history. Ivanir, who made his maiden performance for Maccabi aged 16, scored 67 times playing for the club throughout the decade, with the exception of the two years he spent at Dutch side Roda JC Kerkrade. Alon Natan found the net 40 times before leaving the club for Bnei Yehuda at the end of the 1989–90 season. He was subsequently forced into retirement at age 23 due to injury.[10]
Bonni Ginzburg protected the Maccabi goal from the beginning of the decade until the 1987–88 season. He earned himself a place on the national squad and two years later became the first Israeli goalkeeper to play abroad. Eli Driks, one of the club's all-time greatest strikers,[6] came through the youth ranks at the beginning of the 1980s and began a successful career at the fulcrum of the Maccabi Tel Aviv attack that lasted 20years.
1990s
Avi Nimni, Maccabi's greatest player of the 1990s and the 2000s
After the considerably less than spectacular decade of the 1980s, a young head coach by the name of Avram Grant took over the reins at Maccabi Tel Aviv and brought with him a whole slew of young players that together brought about one of the most successful decades in the club's history. By the time the decade had reached its halfway point the team had already won an historic "double" along with two more championships, two State Cups and one Toto (League) Cup, to which two more would be added before the decade had drawn to a close.[2] Within a matter of a few short years, the glow surrounding Maccabi Tel Aviv, which had dimmed somewhat in the 80s, had returned and once again the yellow and blue of Maccabi became the national colours of Israel's football culture.
It all started in the 1991–92 season, when by virtue of exceptional talent and quality attacking football under the leadership of Avraham Grant, Maccabi Tel Aviv won the league championship for the first time in thirteen years. What contributed to this talent was, among other things, the arrival at the club of the Russian national goalkeeper Alexander Ubarov, who in time became a real Maccabi Tel Aviv legend. With him arrived defender Alexander Polukarov, who also left an enduring mark at the club and together with midfielder Uri Malmilyan and the young midfielders Avi Nimni and Itzik Zohar returned Maccabi Tel Aviv to the top of Israeli football. In the 1992–93 season, after winning the Toto (League) Cup, this talented and successful group of young players of the 1990s got their first taste of victory in the prestigious State Cup after goals by Itsik Zohar and fellow midfielder Nir Klinger decided the final against arch rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv. But despite finishing an excellent season with 88 points, the league title, and hence an historic "double", remained beyond their grasp as Maccabi Haifa enjoyed a spectacular season that saw them play all 39 league matches without a loss and pip Maccabi Tel Aviv to the championship.[12] But the following season Grant and his charges compensated for their disappointment when defender Alon Brumer's famous goal in Beer Sheva succeeded in returning the championship to Maccabi Tel Aviv in dramatic fashion.
At the end of the 1995 season the "Mofet" Group took control of Maccabi Tel Aviv and as a result of Avraham Grant's decision to leave the club, a new coach, Dror Kashtan, took over the reins for what would prove to be one of the best seasons in the club's history. Their chief rivals were once again Maccabi Haifa, and the team traveled to their Kiryat Eliezer Stadium for what will always be remembered as the must-win match of that season. As the players headed for the dressing room trailing 1–0 at half time, coach Kashtan controversially decided to return his players to await their Maccabi Haifa rivals on the pitch. In the second half, goals by striker Eli Dricks and midfielders Nir Klinger and Avi Nimni turned the match around, and that 1–3 victory not only handed Maccabi Tel Aviv the championship but also paved the way for the "double" after a 4–1 thrashing of Hapoel Rishon Lezion in the State Cup final.[12]
Loni Herzikovich, former owner
With Israel's entrance into European football in 1992,[13] Maccabi Tel Aviv also turned their attention to leaving their mark in this prestigious competition as well. The 1992–93 season marked the first time Maccabi Tel Aviv competed in UEFA Champions League qualifiers and in the first round they defeated the Maltese club Valletta but lost to Belgian side Club Brugge in the second round. In the 1994–95 season, Maccabi were knocked out in the second round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup by German side Werder Bremen on a 2–0 aggregate. The following season Maccabi once again tried their luck in the Champions League qualifiers and almost succeeded, but a 2–1 aggregate loss to the Swiss club Grasshopper handed the latter the keys to the group stages. In 1996, it was the powerful Turkish side Fenerbahçe that stood between Maccabi and the group stages and in the resultant UEFA Cup competition they encountered, and subsequently lost to, the Spanish club Tenerife. In the 1999–00 season, Maccabi got past Lithuanian opponents FBK Kaunas in the UEFA Cup qualifiers but then lost to French competitors Lens 4–3 on aggregate in round one.
In the 1990s Maccabi Tel Aviv were blessed with many talented players, among them defenders Amir Shelach and the Brumer brothers Gadi and Alon, midfielder Noam Shoham and strikers Meir Melika and Nir Sivilia. Leading the team into battle was the genius of captain Nir Klinger, the free-kick artistry of Itzik Zohar and perhaps the greatest player in Maccabi Tel Aviv's history, midfielder Avi Nimni. In 1997, the "Mofet" Group broke up and the club was taken over by Loni Herzikovich.
2000s
Sheran Yeini played 15 years in the club, and is the captain of the team
With a particularly attacking style of football promoted by head coach Nir Klinger, the second millennium got off to a very good start for Maccabi Tel Aviv, who won two consecutive coveted State Cups. The first came in the 2000–01 season,[2] one that saw Maccabi finish just fourth in the table but with the highest number of goals of any club in the Israeli Premier League, 71. Particularly memorable was Maccabi's 7–0 demolition of Beitar Jerusalem towards the end of the season and the jaw-dropping total of 10 goals to just one reply against Hapoel Rishon Lezion in January of that same year. It was that exceptional attacking prowess that resulted in Maccabi's receiving the State Cup from the country's president after a 3–0 victory over Maccabi Petah Tikva in the final.[14]
The following season will largely be remembered for the tragic event that occurred on 26 January 2002 during a match against Beitar Jerusalem. Without a preceding incident, Maccabi defender Meni Levi suddenly collapsed in the middle of the pitch, picked himself up and then collapsed again. He received treatment on the pitch for quite a long time before being rushed to a hospital. The game, in the meantime, was not resumed. For a number of years Levi received treatment at the rehabilitation facility Beit Levinstein in Ra'anana but unfortunately was unable to recover and was returned to his family. Subsequently, the club decided to retire Levi's number twelve jersey entirely. As the year progressed the team succeeded in recovering from this tragic incident and ended the season with their second State Cup title in as many years. In the final, Maccabi Tel Aviv won a penalty shoot-out against that season's champion, Maccabi Haifa, after extra time saw the two sides locked in a goalless draw.
The following season Maccabi Tel Aviv won a dramatic league championship from title rivals Maccabi Haifa. On the eve of the last day of the season, head coach Nir Klinger's lads led the league table on goal difference alone. On the day itself Maccabi Haifa led 0–5 at half time against Ashdod while Maccabi were still looking for their first goal against Hapoel Petah Tikva. Only in the second half did they score the three goals (to no reply) that pushed their goal difference past Maccabi Haifa and brought the Championship plate back to the Maccabi Tel Aviv trophy cabinet.[14]
Maccabi's most significant achievement of the decade came in the 2004–05 season when the team reached the group stages of the Champions League.[15] In the play-off stages they beat the Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki and became Israel's second club, after Maccabi Haifa two years earlier, to reach the group stages. There they were drawn against three giants of European football, the German Bayern Munich, the Italian Juventus and the Dutch Ajax. Nonetheless, Maccabi succeeded in finishing the group stage with a precious four points after beating Ajax and drawing with Juventus at home. Paradoxically they ended an unstable league season eighth in the table but once again came away with the State Cup after winning a penalty shoot-out in a final against Maccabi Herzliya that ended 2–2 after extra time.
After this third State Cup in five seasons, Maccabi's fortunes dipped drastically and other clubs took turns winning the league and the Cup. The 2005–06 season will be remembered in particular, earning the nickname "the Galacticos season", for a team that brought together the likes of Israeli international Eyal Berkovic, Croatian star Đovani Roso and Maccabi all-time great Avi Nimni. Despite the star-studded squad, Maccabi failed to translate that quality into winning form and ended the season in the bottom half of the table.
On 28 December 2007, during the 2007–08 season, the club was transferred to the hands of billionaire Alex Shnaider. Shnaider diverted large sums of money to the club, mainly for paying off debts and for developing the youth department. In 2008 alone, Shnaider invested nearly NIS₪40 million from his own money into the club.[16] Overall, in just over a year's time, Shnaider had invested approximately US$20 million in the team.[17]
On 3 August 2009, Shnaider passed the team on to another Canadian billionaire's hands, Mitchell Goldhar. This handover was done for no cost, but against a commitment to pay off the team's debts to Loni Herzkovitz.[18]
2010s
In the 2010–11 season, Maccabi enjoyed one moment of glory in Europe, beating a strong Greek Olympiacos side 1–0 in the home leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. The victory sent Maccabi into the first round of the competition where, despite an exciting 4–3 victory in the home leg, Maccabi failed to surpass French giants Paris Saint-Germain after a 2–0 loss in the French capital. The following season Maccabi claimed a famous victory against Greek side Panathinaikos, beating them 3–0 at Bloomfield Stadium in the qualifying stages of the Europa League.[19] It was a year Maccabi actually did succeed in reaching the group stage of the competition but collected just two points in a group that contained Turkish side Beşiktaş, the Ukrainians Dynamo Kyiv and the English Stoke City.
Eran Zahavi, 99 goals in 120 league apps for Maccabi
The 2012–13 season finally put an end to Maccabi Tel Aviv's bad fortunes in the league as they won their first championship in a decade. Under the stewardship of the new Director of Football Jordi Cruyff and Spanish head coach Óscar García, Maccabi dominated the league and claimed the title by thirteen points ahead of their nearest rival. They finished the season with the league's highest goal total of 78 while conceding the fewest with just 30 goals conceded. Leading that attack was the league's highest goal scorer, striker Eliran Atar with 22, but he was joined by midfielder Maharan Radi with eight (plus eleven assists), young striker Mu'nas Dabbur with ten and Swedish striker Rade Prica (eight) and midfielder Eran Zahavi (seven) who both arrived at the club in the January transfer window. In defense, the tone was set by Maccabi's two center halves, Eitan Tibi and the Spaniard Carlos García, backed up by the excellence of Maccabi Tel Aviv's Nigerian goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama.
The 2013–14 season saw a change in the club's Coach Position with Paulo Sousa replacing Oscar Garcia, as well as several players leaving and new players arriving. Notably Vincent Enyeama left for Lille with Goalkeeper Juan Pablo Colinas joining between the posts, and Nikola Mitrović joining from Videoton. The team continued its success in the league and claimed another championship behind Eran Zahavi's goal scoring. The Team's main rivals this season were Hapoel Be'er Sheva who came in second. The team also enjoyed relative success in the UEFA Europa League as they advanced to the round of 32 after a difficult group stage, before ultimately being ousted by Basel.[20]
The 2014–15 season was characterized by a difficult start. The 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict meant that the qualifying games to the UEFA Champions League were held away from Israel, leading Maccabi to be ousted from both the Champions League and the Europa League. There was also a shake-up at the coach position as Paulo Sousa left for Basel. Óscar García returned but left before the beginning of the season and was replaced by Pako Ayestarán. During the Tel Aviv Derby on 3 November 2014, a fan from Hapoel Tel Aviv broke onto the pitch with an intent to assault Maccabi Star Eran Zahavi who was shown a red card for defending himself.[21] In the aftermath of the event, both teams had 1 point redacted and forfeited the match. However, this event didn't stop Maccabi Tel Aviv from being the first Israeli team to win all three local Trophies: the Premier League, the State Cup and the Toto Cup. Notable new players in the team were Nosa Igiebor and Eden Ben Basat. The best player in the squad was still Eran Zahavi who broke the Israeli Record for consecutive scoring games and scored 27 goals throughout the season.
In the 2015–16 season, the team qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time in 11 years. They were a member of Group G, along with Chelsea, Porto and Dynamo Kyiv.[22] However, these three elite clubs proved to be too much for Maccabi Tel Aviv to handle, and they lost all 6 of their group stage matches, scoring just 1 goal while conceding 16. Maccabi were eliminated in the group stage of the Toto Cup AI. In the league, Maccabi's main rivals for the title were Hapoel Be'er Sheva. After a loss to Hapoel Be'er Sheva at Bloomfield Stadium thanks to two clinical goals from Elyaniv Barda and Maor Melikson, head coach Slavisa Jokanovic was signed by Fulham and replaced by Peter Bosz, who helped improve Maccabi's performances in the league. Be'er Sheva fell under huge pressure before the end of the season, which helped Maccabi fight back and get into the title race again. Maccabi managed to take advantage of Be'er Sheva's bad results, beating Beitar Jerusalem in a close and dramatic tie, where Eran Zahavi scored the winning goal for Maccabi in the 90th minute, breaking the goalscoring record of Nisim Elmaliah by scoring more than 31 goals in one league season. In the biggest game of the season, against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, a win would have brought Maccabi to 1st place because of their goal difference, while any other result would have left Hapoel Be'er Sheva alone at 1st place with a 3 points advantage and only 3 games to go. Maccabi tied the game 0-0, leaving Hapoel Be'er Sheva 3 points ahead of Maccabi and top of the league. Maccabi continued their bad form and dropped points again in their next game, this time against Hapoel Ra'anana, drawing 1-1, and the title came closer to Hapoel Be'er Sheva, who had a 5 points advantage with only 2 games to go. The last game of the league season was a rollercoaster of emotions for Maccabi fans who were hoping for Be'er Sheva to lose against Sakhnin, and who needed to defeat Maccabi Haifa to win the championship. Sakhnin took the lead after 6 minutes, however, Be'er Sheva responded quickly and got a goal after only 10 minutes. At that stage, Be'er Sheva were championed as Maccabi kept on searching for a goal, which finally came when Eran Zahavi scored, which meant Maccabi were the champions at the time. 12 minutes after Maccabi's goal, Be'er Sheva went 2–1 up. Maccabi got a 6–0 lead over Haifa but was unable to win the title, as Be'er Sheva had scored the third goal and became champions. The State Cup Final was Maccabi's last chance to win a trophy this season, and they faced Maccabi Haifa in the final. However, Haifa defeated Maccabi 1-0 and won their first cup in 18 years, which caused Peter Bosz to be released to Ajax as Maccabi had finished with no trophies. The 2015–16 season was called "the worst year in Jordi's Era". Eran Zahavi, Maccabi's star player, was sold to Guangzhou R&F for 8.5million dollars at the end of the season.
The following campaign Shota Arveladze was named Head Coach and successfully helped the Club advance to the Europa League Group stages where they played Zenit, Alkmaar and Dundalk. Over the course of the 2016/17 season, Maccabi defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 5:0 which tied the biggest Derby victory set in 1969/70. Arveladze left the Club midway through the campaign and was replaced by Angolan Lito Vidigal as the squad ended the season in 2nd place while falling in the Cup Final.
Jordi Cruyff was appointed Head Coach for the 2017–18 season as the Sports Director moved down to the sidelines in his 6th season with the Yellow & Blue. The Club advanced to the Europa League Group Stage for the second straight season where they faced Astana, Slavia Prague and Villarreal, defeating the La Liga side in Spain 1:0. Maccabi captured the Toto Cup while finishing in second place in league play.
Vladimir Ivic was appointed head coach at the start of the 2018/19 season. Under the Serbian coach, Maccabi had an impressive season and set many records. The Yellow & Blue won the league championship by a 31-point margin, recorded 89 points (club record), and won the title by the end of March, the earliest ever. The club also won the Toto Cup for the second straight season with a 2:1 win over Maccabi Haifa in the final.
The following season under Ivic the team continued their successful run in the league and won a second successive league title. During that season, Maccabi kept a clean sheet for 14 matches, conceded a total of only 10 league goals thus shattering the all-time Israeli top-flight records. At the end of the season, Ivic ended his role as Maccabi's Head Coach.
2020s
Ahead of the 2020–21 season Maccabi appointed Giorgos Donis of Greece as the successor of Ivic before the league season had begun.[citation needed] The club added two titles to their trophy cabinet by winning the Super Cup and Toto Cup.[citation needed]
In June 2023 Maccabi appointed Robbie Keane to as their next coach.[23]
Maccabi fans in Bloomfield StadiumMaccabi Official Shop in Bloomfield Stadium
A survey conducted in March 2012 by Yedioth showed that Maccabi Tel Aviv was the second-most popular team among Israeli football fans (23%) right after rivals Maccabi Haifa (28%). The same survey revealed that 33% of Tel Aviv residents support the team.[25]
In November 2024, Maccabi fans clashed with pro-Palestinian protestors in Amsterdam after a match against Ajax.[37] Prior to the clashes Maccabi fans attacked Arab residents of the city, stole and burned Palestinian flags, and yelled anti-Palestinian chants.[38][39]
Maccabi Fanatics
Maccabi has one main fan organization, "Maccabi Fanatics", which are located in Gate 11. Maccabi Fanatics are close friends with VAK410 (Ajax ultras) since the 2000s.[40]
Maccabi's main rivals are Hapoel Tel Aviv. The matches between the teams gain a lot of attention in the Israeli public and are referred to as the "Tel Aviv derby".
Rivalry with Maccabi Haifa
Another strong rivals is Maccabi Haifa, because they are the two most successful Israeli football clubs (something called "the Israeli Classico" and "the derby of Israel") competing on the hegemony of Maccabi as well as Israeli soccer in general.
Maccabiah Stadium, which was located near Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, had a capacity of 20,000, and was used by Maccabi for 26 seasons. (except for the 1963–1964, 1964–1965 and 1965–1966 seasons when Maccabi played at Bloomfield Stadium)
Ramat Gan Stadium with a capacity of 41,583 was used by Maccabi in the late 1980s and 1990s, except for the 1986–1987 and 1995–1996 seasons when Maccabi played at Bloomfield Stadium.
Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv with a capacity of 29,400 has been the team's stadium since 1969, Maccabi's main fans gate is gate 11 where the Maccabi Fanatics lead the cheering.
Kiryat Shalom Training Ground
The Maccabi Tel Aviv Training Ground is located in south Tel Aviv, near the Holon Intersection and on the outskirts of the Kiryat Shalom neighbourhood. The various Maccabi Tel Aviv teams began practicing at the complex in the mid-1970s, starting with the Youth Division teams, and joined later by the senior team. The facility consists of four pitches that serve all the Maccabi Tel Aviv teams and includes two gyms, treatment rooms and classrooms. The senior team practice at the western facility, near the locker rooms, on an area one and a half times larger than a regular football pitch, with renovated terraces that seat approximately 100 fans.
On 6 March 2012, the Youth Division Complex was officially re-dedicated in the name of the late Avi Cohen.[citation needed]
Not far from the senior team's training ground is a synthetic pitch, one of the first of its kind in Israel, which serves as the training ground for all the teams in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division. At the northern end of the complex is the central pitch of the Youth Division, lined by two terraces with a seating capacity of over 200 and equipped for television broadcasts. The central pitch is used primarily by the Maccabi Tel Aviv Under-19 squad, but the club's youth teams also make use of the facility. The fourth and smallest of the pitches is the eastern one, used mainly for training and frequently for matches of the children's teams. The Youth Division complex has ten dressing rooms, one of which is used by visiting teams and one extra room for the referees on match days. During the 2011–12 season an exercise room was also built on the ground for the use of the entire Youth Division.[citation needed]
Only up to six non-Israeli nationals can be in an Israeli club squad (only five can play at the same time). Those with Jewish ancestry, married to an Israeli or have played in Israel for an extended period of time, can claim a passport or permanent residency which would allow them to play with Israeli status.[citation needed]
There was controversy regarding the number of championships the team won prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
According to the official lists of the Israel Football Association, Maccabi won four pre-1948 championships for 23 total championships, while according to the team's records, Maccabi won five pre-1948 championships and 24 total championships.
This discrepancy stems from the title won by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1939 season: the Tel Aviv District League, in which Maccabi Tel Aviv played and won the district championship, was the strongest of the three district leagues that season.
The controversy arises in regards to two points:
Firstly, was this title recognized as a national championship at the time?
Secondly, should this title be recognized as a national championship today?
In 2024, the controversy was resolved after the Israel Football Association recognized the team's 1939 championship as an official championship.[49]
Records
Seasons in top division– 69 (1949–present), (only team that has never been relegated)
The Israeli Premier League is a professional association football league, that operates as the highest-division of the Israeli football league. This top tier league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with its second division Liga Leumit. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing between 33 and 36 matches each, totalling 240 matches in every season.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club is an Israeli professional football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club was established in 1949, and since 2007 it has been run by businesswoman Alona Barkat, who serves as the club's owner. The club also fields youth teams, and a women's side. There is also a football academy.
Maor Bar Buzaglo is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
The 2009–10 Israeli Premier League was the 11th season since its introduction in 1999 and the 68th season of top-tier football in Israel. It began on 22 August 2009 and ended on 15 May 2010 with the last matches of the playoff round.
The 2010–11 Israeli Premier League was the twelfth season since its introduction in 1999 and the 69th season of top-tier football in Israel. It began on 21 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. Hapoel Tel Aviv were the defending champions.
The 2013–14 season was Maccabi Haifa's 56th season in Israeli Premier League, and their 32nd consecutive season in the top division of Israeli football.
The 2013–14 Israel State Cup was the 75th season of Israel's nationwide football cup competition and the 60th after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. It began in August 2013, while the final was held in Ramat Gan Stadium on 7 May 2014.
The 1968–69 Israel State Cup was the 30th season of Israel's nationwide football cup competition and the 15th after the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
The 2014-15 season is Maccabi Haifa's 57th season in Israeli Premier League, and their 33rd consecutive season in the top division of Israeli football.
The 1969–70 Israel State Cup was the 31st season of Israel's nationwide football cup competition and the 16th after the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
The 2015–16 Israeli Premier League was the seventeenth season since its introduction in 1999 and the 74th season of top-tier football in Israel. It began on 22 August 2015 and ended in May 2016. Hapoel Be'er Sheva became champion after 40 years without winning a main national competition, interrupting the sequence of three consecutive titles of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The 2015–16 season is Maccabi Haifa's 58th season in Israeli Premier League, and their 34th consecutive season in the top division of Israeli football.
The 2015–16 Toto Cup Al was the 31st season of the third-important football tournament in Israel since its introduction and the 11th tournament involving Israeli Premier League clubs only.
The 2015–16 season is Maccabi Tel Aviv's 110th season since its establishment in 1906, and 68th since the establishment of the State of Israel. During the 2015–16 campaign the club have competed in the Israeli Premier League, State Cup, Toto Cup, Israel Super Cup UEFA Champions League.
The 2016–17 season is Maccabi Tel Aviv's 110th season since its establishment in 1906, and 69th since the establishment of the State of Israel. During the 2016–17 campaign the club have competed in the Israeli Premier League, State Cup, Toto Cup, UEFA Europa League.
The 2017–18 season was Maccabi Tel Aviv's 111th season since its establishment in 1906, and 70th since the establishment of the State of Israel. During the 2017–18 campaign the club competed in the Israeli Premier League, State Cup, Toto Cup, UEFA Europa League.
The 2017–18 Toto Cup Al was the 33rd season of the third-important football tournament in Israel since its introduction and the 12th tournament involving Israeli Premier League clubs only.
The 2020–21 season was Maccabi Tel Aviv's 114th season since its establishment in 1906 and 73rd since the establishment of the State of Israel. During the 2020–21 campaign, the club competed in the Israeli Premier League, State Cup, Toto Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
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