Orel Baye joins Hapoel Kfar Shalem after an agreement was reached between the two clubs for a season-long loan deal of the 22-year-old winger.

Baye, scored one goal in nine appearances at Hapoel Jerusalem, and in the second half of the 2025/26 campaign added five more appearances in the top-flight during a loan to Hapoel Petah Tikva.

Baye will continue his development during the 2026/27 season at Hapoel Kfar Shalem.

Good luck Orel.

Preview

A month after recording a 3-1 victory away to Hapoel Be’ersheva to clinch the Super Cup, Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived at Miriam stadium in Netanya for the Toto Cup Semi Final against Maccabi Netanya. On the back of Thursday’s EUROPA League 3rd qualifying round 3-1 victory away to CSKA Sofia which wasn’t enough to see Maccabi through, and four days before the Conference League Playoff away to FC Lugano, a place in the Toto Cup Final is at stake.

Miller made four changes from the side which won in Sofia as Ali Camara was not available through injury while Roy Revivo who was sent off against Be’ersheva was serving a one-match touchline ban. Itai Ben Hamo stepped in to partner Raz Shlomo at the second central defender while Tyrese Asante and Noam Ben Harosh completed Maccabi’s back-line in front of goalkeeper Ofek Melika. Issouf Sisokho and Itamar Noy were named in Maccabi’s engine room with Dor Peretz captaining the side in a more attacking role. Osher Davida who set up two goals in Sofia and Helio Varela who bagged one goal, supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation. Saied Abu Farchi led the line as the 20-year-old forward will continue his goal scoring run of four goals in five matches this season.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, Miller named Ester Sokler, Dan Glazer, Noam Schwartz, Shahar Rosen, Hisham Layous, Ido Shahar, Lotem Asres and Ilay Ben Simon.

First Half

Both sides sold their entire ticket allocation a fact which saw the Netanya stadium almost full to it’s capacity. Maccabi began the match on the front foot abd came close to score inside the opening minute as a Helio Varela cut back reached Dor Peretz whose effort was saved by the keeper. Netanya who are dangerous on the break almost punished Maccabi early on as Matheus Davo latched on a Raz Shlomo pass which was blocked and charged forward. The Brazilian striker raced clear through but fired his shot across the face of Ofek Melika’s goal. In the sixth minute Issouf Sissokho was cautioned by referee Aviad Shiloah after he was judged to have raised his foot too high.

Melika gave Miller and GK coach Dean Kiely a scare as he went down clutching his shoulder, but the young keeper recovered. Osher Davida rifled a left foot shot over the crossbar on 15 but two minutes later Maccabi translated its dominance to a well taken goal which came at the end of a team effort. Saied Abu Farchi carved Netanya’s defense open as he released Peretz whose square ball left Varela in front of goal. The Cape Verde winger kept his calm and drilled his shot beyond the reach of of Samu to break the deadlock with his second goal in the last two outings. Itamar Noy almost doubled Maccabi’s lead with an uncharacteristic header as he rose in the box to meet Varela’s cross but guided his header wide of the post. On the stroke of halftime Maor Levy floated a pinpoint cross into the box where Davó was left unmarked but Netanya’s forward sent his header over the crossbar.

Second Half

Miller made one change after the break as he added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield introducing Ido Shahar for Noy at the restart. Netanya increased the pressure to try and level the score as Dolev Haziza and Bassam Zarora tested Melika from outside the box. Miller made a double change on the hour mark as Davida and Abu Farchi both bowed out and were replaced by Ilay Ben Simon and Ester Sokler. Ben Simon could have scored with one of his first touches on 64 but the young midfielder blasted his shot over the crossbar from close range. 

Miller was forced to make another change as Sissokho limped and was replaced by Dan Glazer in the 66th minute. Netanya came close to level the score twice in the space of five minutes as Melika charged off his goal-line to narrow the angle of Davó while Karem Javer fired across the face of goal shortly after. Miller made his fifth and final change as Shahar Rosen came on for Varela who received a standing ovation by the Maccabi fans in the East stand. Rosen almost set up Maccabi’s second with an accurate left foot cross into the path of Sokler but the Slovenian striker couldn’t fully connect and the chance was wasted.

The 20-year-old who was involved in Maccabi’s goal which was scored by Helio Varela said after the match: “The win is very important. Playing for another trophy, and in a derby, makes it even bigger.”
Abu Farchi summed up the hard-fought match and the team’s qualification for the final, sharing his thoughts on the pitch and also addressing his future at the club.
“It’s a very important win for us,” Abu Farchi began after the game. “We reached the final, and that’s a very significant achievement. It’s an opportunity to play for another trophy, and the fact that it will be a derby in the final makes the whole thing even bigger for us and for the club. As for the game itself, I think we played really well in the first half. Our tempo dropped a little in the second half, but as I said, the bottom line is that we got this important victory.”
The young striker who scored four goals in six outings this season, responded to reports linking him with a move to MLS side Colorado Rapids, and whether this had been his final appearance for the club: “I am a Maccabi Tel Aviv player and I’m only focused on Maccabi. As long as I’m here and the team needs me, I’ll do everything and give everything to help my teammates on the pitch.”
Abu Farchi also addressed what is happening behind the scenes: “My agent is handling it with Jack Angelides, Steven Vanharen and the owner Mitch Goldhar, whom I want to thank very much for the opportunity he has given me. I read the reports just like you do, but right now I’m focused solely on Maccabi’s tasks.”
Abu Farchi made it clear that he is fully available to the coaching staff for Thursday’s upcoming European fixture as well: “I want to remind everyone that we already have a game this Thursday, and for now I’m here and I’m playing on Thursday. As I said, I’m a Maccabi Tel Aviv player. I grew up at this club, I truly love this club, and I’ll continue to give everything for it until my very last moment here.”
Finally, the striker sent a warm message to the Maccabi fans who backed the team: “As my final message, I really want to thank our fans from the bottom of my heart. I really hope we can continue to make them happy in the games ahead.”

“It was a very difficult game with a good tempo, especially for this stage of the season,” Kenny Miller began after the win that sent the Yellows through to the Toto Cup final. “We were very good in the first half and got into a lot of good areas where we could have made more of our opportunities. In the second half we came under a lot of pressure, and you could see we were starting to tire towards the end, but we fought hard.”

The coach continued by analysing the nature of the game: “There isn’t only one way to win a football match. Ideally, you play your style, dictate the game and score plenty of goals, but tonight we had to battle through the final 20-25 minutes. The boys stood together as one, defended the goal with their hearts, and we could also have scored another goal on the counter-attack. I’m pleased with the win and the performance, and ultimately, in cup matches, the objective is to get through to the next round.”

Asked about the condition of Issouf Sissoko, who was substituted during the match, the coach offered reassurance: “He’ll be absolutely fine. It was just a precaution.”

Miller also addressed the current state of the squad and the desire to strengthen further during the transfer window: “Everyone at the club knows where we are, and we’re working very hard behind the scenes to help the squad. In every transfer window, everyone wants to strengthen. We’ve brought in a few players so far, and we need to bring in at least two more. We’re working hard to give the players in that dressing room some more help.”

On the future of Saied Abu Farchi and his performance tonight, he said: “It could be his last game, but that decision will be made by people above me. He’s a fantastic player with a big future. He loves the club and wants to represent it, and that says a lot about his character. If the move happens, he’ll train and play right up until the very last minute, so I had no doubts about playing him tonight.”

Finally, the coach was already looking ahead to the important meeting with Lugano this coming Thursday: “It will be a difficult game, but we’ll prepare and we’ll be ready. We have three days to recover. When you’re at a big club, you want to be playing European football, and that means you have to deal with a busy schedule like this. It only reinforces the fact that we want to bring in more help for the squad.”

Yonas Malede will leave Maccabi Tel Aviv and join Hapoel Be’ersheva after an agreement was reached between the two clubs for the transfer of the 26-year-old forward.

Malede, joined Maccabi in January 2024, has since scored 2 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions and was part of the team that won 2 championships (23/24, 24/25), State Cup (25/26), Toto Cup (24/25) and Super Cup (26/27).

Thank you Yonas for your contribution to Maccabi and best of luck I your future career.

After a busy month of European action and travels, Maccabi Tel Aviv return to compete on the domestic front as they have a short trip to Miriam stadium where they face local side Maccabi Netanya for the Semi Final of the Toto Cup. Head Coach, Kenny Miller made it clear that he has no intention of taking the competition lightly: “We have a strong squad and there will definitely be changes, but make no mistake, this is a semi-final. We will approach this game looking to win with the strongest team we can field. This is not a game to ‘throw away’ or another warm-up match for the league. We want to win and be in the final in December.”

Captain Dor Peretz, who lifted one trophy this season after beating Hapoel Be’ersheva in the Super Cup, emphasized the players’ commitment to : “Every trophy is a trophy, whether it’s the Toto Cup or the Israeli Championship. Every player understands that. We will do our very best to win, with whoever plays and whatever lineup we field.”

Peretz also responded emphatically when asked whether the team is capable of beating Netanya with a potentially rotated lineup: “Asking us whether we are capable of beating Netanya feels like you are underestimating us. It’s irrelevant which lineup we field; we will do our very best.”

Regarding the squad and the remainder of the campaign, Peretz added: “We have a very high-quality and very good squad here, but yes, this team needs reinforcements and a refresh with a few more players who can push us forward, so that we can compete for all the trophies and in all the competitions”.

Preview:

Maccabi arrived at Bulgaria’s Vasil Levski National stadium in Sofia for the return leg of the Europa League third qualifying round against local side CSKA Sofia. With a 3-0 deficit from last week’s first leg in Batumi, Maccabi know that only a victory by a three goal margin or more would keep their chances of advancing to the Play-Off alive. Kenny Milled made several changes to his side from the team that lost in Batumi as Tyrese Asante and Roy Revivo returned to the starting line-up on the right and left of defense. Ali Camara and Raz Shlomo kept their place as the two central defenders in front of goalkeeper Ofek Melika. Issouf Sissokho started in the anchorman role with Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz joining the Mali midfielder in Maccabi’s engine room. Helio Varela and Osher Davida supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation while Ester Sokler who made his debut appearance last week as a second half substitute, made his first start upfront.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, Miller named Kervin Andrade, Dan Glazer, Elad Madmon, Noam Ben Harosh, Ori Azo, Noam Schwartz, Shahar Rosen, Itamar Noy, Saied Abu Farchi, Itai Ben Hamo and Ilay Ben Simon.

First half:

A backdrop of over 20,000 Bulgarian fans draped in red and a few dozen Maccabi fans in Yellow, Kenny Miller’s side were facing a tough task. Six minutes from the start Maccabi couldn’t have wished for a better outcome as Helio Varela’s pressure on CSKA’s defense saw the Cape Verde winger brought down in the box. German referee Daniel Schlager awarded a penalty which silenced the home fans. But VAR intervened, called Schlager to the screen before the initial decision was cancelled lifting the home crowd. A minute after play was resumed, CSKA almost took the lead as Leandro Godoy who scored in last week’s first leg, shrugged off a challenge by Raz Shlomo and with only Ofek Melika to beat, struck his shot against the post. In the 12th minute however Maccabi took the lead as Osher Davida curled a left foot cross into the path of Dor Peretz who slid in and flicked the ball beyond the reach of CSKA’s keeper Fador Lapoukhov. With the aggregate score at 3-1 Maccabi played with confidence and came close to double their lead on 21. Davida switched sides to Roy Revivo and raced into the penalty area to meet the left-back’s pinpoint cross with a header which bounced in front of the keeper and over the crossbar.

Issouf Sissokho who dominated the midfield since the start of the match went down on the edge of the Maccabi box in the 25th minute after a rough tackle by Bruno Jordao who was consequently booked by Schlager. Revivo broke into the CSKA penalty box and went down in what seemed like a penalty, but his claims for a spot kick didn’t impress Shlager, who booked Peretz for dissent five minute later. Three minutes after the half hour mark, as Maccabi continued to press forward, a Tyrese Asante cross fell to Varela who cut inside before firing a shot which bounced off the base of the post.

In the 43rd minute Shlomo charged forward through the middle before teeing up Ido Shahar who pulled the trigger but saw his shot deflected for a corner. Maccabi continued their dominance and placed CSKA’s defense under the cosh with Varela tormenting the hosts’ down the left. Inside injury time Revivo was fouled on the edge of the box and Schlager awarded a free kick. Maccabi’s well drilled set piece came inches away from doubling the lead and cutting the aggregate deficit to 3-2, but Asante fired a powerful low drive which left Lapoukhov rooted to the ground but rolled agonizingly wide.

Second half:

While Miller didn’t make any change after the interval, his Bulgarian counterpart Hristo Yanev introduced James Eto’o for Jordao at the restart. CSKA reached their best chance in the 50th minute as Ioannis Pittas had his initial shot from inside the box blocked by Ali Camara before his second shot was caught by Melika. 

Camara needed treatment and limped off on 54 before the Guinea central defender was replaced by Noam Ben Harosh. As a result of the change Ben Harosh was assigned to the right-back role while Asante pushed into the middle to partner Shlomo at the heart of defense. While Maccabi were regrouping, CSKA almost scored as Melika charged off his goalline to block Godoy who was sent into the area before the striker tapped the ball across the face of the empty goal.

A minute after the hour mark Maccabi were rewarded for their efforts and managed to double their lead and cut the aggregate deficit to a single goal. Davida once again was the provider as he curled a left foot cross into the danger zone as Ester Sokler guided his header into the top corner to score his debut Maccabi goal. Revivo came close to score the third on 65 as he headed a Shahar corner wide from close range. But at the opposite end a minute later Maccabi’s comeback suffered a major blow as the Yellow defense struggled to clear the ball which fell to Stefanos Sensi who blasted his shot in to set the stadium alight. Maccabi’s never say die attitude on the night saw Miller’s charges regain the two goal lead almost instantly as a Varela cross from the left was fumbled by Lapoukhov into his own net to make it 3-1 in the 69th minute.

Miller made his first changes in the 79th minute as he introduced both Elad Madmon and Saied Abu Farchi for Davida and Sokler. Within a minute of his introduction Madmon wasn’t ready for the frantic pace of the match as he conceded possession just inside Maccabi’s half forcing Sissokho to commit a foul which earned the Mali midfielder a booking as two minutes later Madmon was booked himself for a challenge Mohamed Brahimi. Miller made another change in the 84th minute as Shahar came off with Kervin Andrade given a chance to try and make a change in the closing stages of the match.