Maccabi's two new signings, Eden Ben Basat and Nosa Igiebor, appeared at the team press conference. The squad are off to Slovenia
This morning the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad continued preparations for their 3rd round Champions League qualifier against Slovenian champions NK Maribor. Before the practice, the team's two new signings, Eden Ben Basat and Nosa Igiebor, appeared at a press conference ahead of the squad's departure for Slovenia. "I'm now representing Maccabi Tel Aviv and I'm very happy to be here", the Israeli striker began. "We're headed for Slovenia to beat Maribor and play our absolute best. It will be very difficult but I believe we can get a good reading on them. Everyone knows how difficult things are for all of us here right now, even the footballers outside Israel, but when it comes to personal security, there's no place like Israel and I'm very happy to be back".
Regarding his decision to return to Israel, Ben Basat added: "It was a professional decision, I'm very happy to join the Maccabi family and now it's up to me to prove myself. I gave the matter some thought but as soon as you get here to the training complex and watch the level of play at practices you can see that it's comparable with many places in Europe. I decided this was the time to come back and achieve here as much as is possible. I had some options in France but I decided that Maccabi Tel Aviv is the best place for me at this point in my career".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fheWZwTkoE
The former Toulouse forward summed up: "Everyone can see that Maccabi are on a growth curve and I simply felt I wanted to be a part of that. They're the club with the best management in Israel. I promise to work hard, to give it everything and if I can fit in professionally and socially with the other players, I'm sure everything will work out. So far everyone's been great".
Nigerian midfielder Nosa Igiebor is returning to Israel after two years playing in Spain. Asked how it was to be back, especially at a time like this, he replied: "You know, everybody is going to say, hey, don't go there, don't do this because they see these things on T.V. and you know the way they see it, that's what they think. But I've been in Israel before, I know it doesn't really happen that way so for me it was a professional decision for me to come and I didn't have to listen to anybody. I've heard a lot you understand, but for me I've decided to come because I know there's definitely going to be peace. Sometimes it's kind of scary, you're scared when you hear these things but I think I'm okay. Anyway, Maccabi have the quality and for me I enjoy being in Israel. When I was here it was nice, I enjoyed the city, I love everything. So I decided okay it's like home for me, let me come back".
The assembled press also wanted to know how he felt about trading in the green of former club Real Betis for Maccabi Tel Aviv yellow: "It feels good. For me my time at Betis was good. I enjoyed myself. The Spanish league is like a dream, it's the biggest league in the world so I enjoyed myself playing there. But I've been injured recently and I've not really played and I look and I say okay where's there a team where I can really play and get myself back up. I didn't really know much about what has happened here but when Maccabi wanted me my focus was on Maccabi. And for me it was a professional decision to come because of this team. I've not only played against them but I know they have the quality which I've seen in other European teams and for me that's why I came back".
Asked about his personal targets Igiebor said: "It's a dream for everyone to play in the Champions League so for me this was one of my priorities, to come to play in the Champions League. And I know that Maccabi have the quality of players that can play on the big stage, so this is my number one priority". And Maribor? "I have the CD the coach gave to me to watch and I'm going to watch in the plane and then I'll be able to tell".
