It’s a glorious time to be a football fan in Israel.
In last week’s UEFA qualifying match, the Israeli national team was able to pull of a draw against Wales, arguably a more formidable club, allowing the blue-and-whites to stave off elimination, and maintain their bid to enter the 2016 Euro Cup tournament.
On a different, but equally important field, the most coveted brand in Israeli football, Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C., were relentless in their quest to make the Champion’s League for the first time in eleven years – a goal that went fulfilled following their 1-1 draw against F.C. Basel of Switzerland on Aug. 25.
The club’s forthcoming appearance in the Champion’s League will be their second time competing in the tournament in their storied history.
With the first round of the playoffs officially underway, Maccabi will face off against a ‘frustrated’ Chelsea team today at 2:45pm EST. While many were quick to undermine the Israelis, it is worth noting that Chelsea has had their worst start to a domestic top-flight season in 29 years, losing three of their opening five league games.
It’s also worth mentioning that Slaviša Jokanović, Maccabi's relatively new head coach, once sported the royal blue jersey himself.
Proud to represent Israel in Europe
“I have been here for only 2-3 months so I am particularly happy with our performances in Europe and at the start of the season,” Jokanović says in an interview with The CJN. “I feel proud with what my team has done and the way in which they performed so far, but one doesn’t sum things up after such a short period of time as an entire season is ahead of us. I believe we can be a better team and there is a lot of room for improvement.”
Despite whatever obstacles lie ahead, not to mention being placed in Group G along with three teams who have a better ranking, Jokanović is grateful for the “great opportunity” to compete against Europe’s top teams like Chelsea, Porto and Dynamo Kyiv (who have all won European titles in the past).
On his playing against his former teammates in Stamford Bridge, he admits there are “no cards up a sleeve” when you are a football coach. “I am happy because I can wear the Maccabi colours with pride and represent Israel in Europe. My job is to try and make as a successful job as possible with Maccabi against Chelsea.”
As for Tal Ben-Haim, an iconic member of Israeli football for over 13 years, he’s thrilled to play his first Champion’s League match with the blue-and-yellows, particularly since he left Tel Aviv for Bolton Wanderers F.C. back in 2004, before the club’s first appearance in the tournament.
'It was almost clear to me that we would qualify'
“This is coming full circle for me,” Ben-Haim tells The CJN. “I must admit that at first I felt this twitch, especially as they [Maccabi Tel Aviv] were drawn against Bayern Munich, Juventus and Ajax. After I had signed for Maccabi this summer it was almost clear to me, and I can’t explain why, that we would qualify to the Champions League. I guess I had a lot of faith and recognition in the quality of this squad and strength of this club”.
Despite the team’s “shaky start” with their defeat to the Hibernians in Malta, Ben-Haim says that Maccabi has proven they have a right to be where they are due to their hard work, professionalism, and character. “This is nothing short of amazing,” he exclaims. “This is a great achievement for the club, the players, the staff, the fans and everyone involved with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli football.”
Staying focused on the task ahead
While nobody on the team is sugarcoating it – Maccabi Tel Aviv is the true underdog of this tournament – no one is saying they can’t succeed either. After all, who doesn’t love a good underdog story? “In football almost everything is achievable, but one has to remain realistic as well,” Ben-Haim explains. “This is an extremely difficult task especially if you take into account the calibre of teams we are facing in our group. But at Maccabi we never look that far ahead, we always focus on the upcoming match.”
According to Jokanović, perhaps even more important than winning is playing the game gracefully, with respect and aplomb. “We must respect all our opponents but more importantly respect ourselves as a club which obviously includes our fans. We must give everything we have on the pitch remain focused at the task at hand and be brave with our approach to the games."
Maccabi Tel Aviv: A Cinderella Story (which is what the documentary will be called if the Israelis are able to persevere through the first round) continues with the team's first match against Chelsea today at 2:45pm EST in Stamford Bridge, London. Their next match will be against Dynamo Kyiv on Sept. 29.
