The date has been set, but whether it will actually happen remains to be seen. The Israeli professional football leagues are scheduled to resume play on November 25th – initially in empty stands due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Some clubs in southern Israeli cities, such as SC Ashdod and Hapoel Be’er Sheva, are unlikely to be able to play their home games at the end of November because of frequent airstrikes by the terrorist organization Hamas.
Will Keane return to Israel?
Another problem is that around 60 percent of foreign players who left the country after the Gaza war began have not yet returned. The most prominent case, however, concerns a coach: the Irish record international player Robbie Keane. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker, now 43 years old, has been head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv since last June.
Keane had already been criticized at the beginning of his engagement in his native Ireland: because of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The coach had already refused to comment on the political situation in Israel. Keane stuck to this line even after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, which earned him criticism from some prominent footballers in Israel. Keane was back in the Maccabi dugout for the first time last week – although not in Tel Aviv, but in Poland, during his team’s 3-1 win in the UEFA Conference League against Ukrainian club Zorya Luhansk.
Changes to Israel’s top soccer league?
In order to limit the financial damage caused by the war, Israeli clubs are demanding that betting income and income from television rights be secured. Some clubs are also calling for the Premier League to be increased from 14 to 16 clubs for one season and for the relegation rule to be suspended in order to generate additional money. The Israeli government has promised sports clubs that it will compensate them for loss of income. Sports Minister Miki Zohar said he was in contact with the army to ensure fans could return to games as soon as possible.
What’s next for Israeli basketball?
Israel has celebrated its greatest international successes in sport so far in basketball, especially at club level. The most successful club Maccabi Tel Aviv, which has won the EuroLeague three times, currently plays its home games in the Serbian capital Belgrade.
In contrast to the professional football leagues, there is still no plan for a quick resumption of play in Israel’s top basketball league. The variant of a “bubble” modeled on the NBA during the corona pandemic is being discussed. The North American Basketball League ended the 2019/20 season in a shielded area of the Disney theme park in Orlando, Florida.
The cities of Hadera and Afula, among others, have been suggested as possible locations for such a solution in Israel. There, the risk of becoming a target of missile attacks is classified as low. As in football, with this solution the games should be played without fans.
Israeli basketball is even more dependent on its foreign players than football. Many of them have not yet returned to Israel because of the military conflict. Some clubs have already started releasing their foreign players from their contracts even though the season hasn’t even started.
Synchronized swimming team is considering skipping the World Cup
In Olympic sports, many Israeli athletes are currently not taking part in international competitions due to security concerns. There have been incidents during the few appearances by Israeli athletes abroad. The Israeli national fencing team in the Swiss capital Bern was not allowed to return to the hotel because of a bomb threat. The participants had to wait in the changing room of the competition hall for six hours before they received the news that no explosive device had been found in the hotel.
Due to the current situation, the Israeli synchronized swimming team may not want to take part in the World Championships in February in Qatar, which also awards tickets to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “We are afraid that Munich 1972 will repeat itself,” they wrote on Instagram. During the Olympic Games in Germany 51 years ago, eleven Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists.
This text was adapted from English.