There is a saying at Maccabi that says: “Maccabi is a family,” but for some of the greatest players to wear the Yellow-and-Blue shirt, that phrase is much more than a slogan – it’s a daily reality. To mark Family Day, we salute the dynasties that have shaped the club over decades.

The twins of the 1990s: Gadi and Alon Brumer

It’s hard to think of the vibrant 1990s without remembering the Brumer twins. Gadi and Alon rose through the youth ranks and became pillars of the Yellow-and-Blue defense. Together they won league titles and cups, with Gadi becoming one of the greatest center-backs in Israeli football history, while Alon added relentless fighting spirit on the flank and in midfield. Their almost telepathic understanding was their trademark, and to this day they are regarded as icons of excellence and humility.

The goalkeeping dynasty: Ofek, Yaron and Meir Melika

Here we are talking about a true dynasty. Ofek Melika, the club’s promising young goalkeeper, continues a rich family tradition. His father, Yaron Melika, stood between the posts for Maccabi in the 1990s, while his uncle, Meir Melika, was a striker who scored decisive goals. The Melika family roots at Maccabi go even deeper, back to great-grandfather Shmuel, making Ofek the fourth generation of footballers in the family.

The father and son who reached England: Avi Cohen RIP and Tamir Cohen

You can’t talk about family at Maccabi without mentioning the illustrious legacy of the late Avi Cohen and his son Tamir Cohen. Avi is considered one of the greatest defenders, and Maccabists, of all time, even making the move from Maccabi to the great Liverpool. His son Tamir also grew up at the club and became a dominant midfielder in the senior side before embarking on a career in England as well (Bolton), adding further honor to the Cohen family name in the club’s history.

Two yellow Icons: Avi and Meir Nimni

Everyone knows Avi Nimni, the legendary number 8. But younger fans may not know that the path was paved by his uncle, the late Meir Nimni. Meir was a tough and versatile player, a leader and a true team man who won league titles and cups with Maccabi in the 1970s, serving as a role model for his young nephew who broke into the senior side in the late 1980s.

Talent on the wing: Roy and David Revivo

As Roy Revivo burns down Maccabi’s left flank these days, he does so with technique reminiscent of his uncle, David Revivo, who grew up at Kiryat Shalom and was one of the most gifted passers to emerge from the club. Although David spent part of his career outside Maccabi, the family connection, and of course his father, Haim Revivo, one of the greatest of all time, always kept the Revivo name close to the yellow heart.

Decisive goals: Miki and Yonatan Cohen

Another dynasty is the Cohen family. The father, Miki Cohen, was an energetic midfielder and loyal homegrown player in the 1980s, part of major moments in the club’s history, including scoring a decisive goal in the 1988 State Cup final against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Years later, his son Yonatan Cohen became one of the key players of the club’s modern era. Yonatan played a significant role in league title triumphs with spectacular goals and assists, and like his father, he also scored in a derby State Cup final, in the 2020/21 season.

Yellow cult heroes: The Nahman twins

Another pair of twins who generated plenty of interest in the youth department and senior squad in the 1990s were Guy and Ron Nahman. The two, who grew up at the club, were part of extended squads during periods of yellow success and remain remembered as one of the more recognizable sibling duos in Maccabi culture.

Kristijan Belic who recently recovered from an injury and returned to the side made a second half substitution against Beitar Jerusalem at Teddy stadium but couldn’t help his side collect more than a point. The 24-year-old midfielder said after the match: “It was a very important game, but we were somewhat nervous and not comfortable on the ball. There were attempts to go alone, myself included, with too many touches on the ball. We are much better than that, but we have to be satisfied with the point and keep fighting.”

Belic, didn’t hide his disappointment from the two points dropped as he explained: “We are not satisfied with the point. If you look at the game and the chances, we did not deserve to win. At least we showed character and stayed in the match.”

As Maccabi are now 11 points adrift of leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva with three matches left to the end of the regular season and before the Playoff begins, Belic insisted: “We wanted to win. After the loss in the previous match against them, we entered a difficult period. That’s football, but we need to be better, look ourselves in the mirror, and take three points this coming Saturday.”

“There are still many matches left until the end of the season and three more meetings against Be’ersheva. They have their story and we have ours. The most important match is on Saturday, and that’s it.”

Preview

Maccabi arrived at Teddy stadium for the MD23 WINNER League encounter away to second place Beitar Jerusalem. Ronny Deila’s side that are currently fourth with 42 points, will try narrow the five-point gap they have from Beitar and move closer to runaway leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva. While Maccabi are on a run of three successive victories in all competitions since Deila took charge, beating Beitar at Teddy will be far from easy as the stadium will be full of the home fans due to Maccabi’s away fan ban. Memories of the 6-2 defeat from the previous match between the two sides in November at Bloomfield is still fresh in the memory of the players. But Deila and his staff will have to put that aside as they aim to drive Maccabi back into the title race.

Brazilian defender Heitor dos Santos completed his one-match-touchline ban and returned to the side as he partnered Raz Shlomo at the heart of defense. Tyrese Asante returned to the role of right-back with Roy Revivo completing Maccabi’s four-man defense in front of goalkeeper Ofek Melika.

Deila kept the same midfield that beat Bnei Reineh last week as Itamar Noy, Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz formed Maccabi’s engine room. Emir Sahiti who scored a brace against Reineh and three in his last two outings, kept his place on the wing. Osher Davida was named on the opposite flank as the 24-year-old will try and add to his tally of two league goals and five in all competitions this season.

Upfront, Saied Abu Farchi continued to hold his place as the 19-year-old who scored one and set up two more against Reineh, will aim to continue his form of three goals in the last three outings and 8 in all competitions this season.

First Half

A loud Teddy stadium packed with Beitar Jerusalem fans was the welcoming reception that Maccabi’s players received. Despite having no fans in the stands, Maccabi took the first initiative and came close to score as early as the sixth minute. Osher Davida received the ball deep inside Beitar’s half before cutting onto his left and unleashing a powerful shot that cleared the crossbar. Four minutes later Raz Shlomo went down and limped off with an injury as Ronny Deila was forced to make an early change by introducing Ali Camara.

In the 22nd minute Maccabi’s pressure on Beitar’s defense saw Ido Shahar win possession deep inside the hosts’ half. Shahar laid the ball off for Emir Sahiti whose cross found Dor Peretz inside the box. But the 30-year-old’s attempt of a side foot was easily collected by Beitar’s keeper Miguel Silva. Maccabi continued to look dangerous going forward through the channels as Davida won a corner a minute after the hour mark. Itamar Noy crossed the corner straight into the danger zone where Camara rose high yet sent his header over from close range. Ofek Melika made his first save in the 34th minute as Yarden Shuah released Adi Yona whose weak shot didn’t trouble the Maccabi keeper.

Seconds after the fourth official signalled five minutes of added time, Heitor dos Santos drilled a low powerful drive that forced Silva to push the ball out for a corner. Luka Gadrani’e foul on Saied Abu Farchi earned the Beitar defender a booking by referee Gal Leibovic who blew the halftime whistle shortly after.

Second Half

As no changes were made at halftime, both teams returned for the second half with the score still goalless. Three minutes in, a perfectly timed last gasp tackle by Heitor on Yarden Shuah denied the Beitar captain who was clear through. Two minutes later, a Maccabi counterattack ended with Abu Farchi sweeping the ball home. But the referee assistant raised his flag for offside and the goal was disallowed. Dor Peretz finished another counterattack on 51 with a well taken shot that beat Silva. But once again the flag was raised for offside and the goal was scratched off.

Yona came close twice in the space of five minutes as he first blasted his shot over the top before dragging a second effort wide of the target. Deila reacted with a double substitution on 59 as Kristijan Belic and Yonas Malede came on for Shahar and Davida. With their fans cheering them on, Beitar continued to press forward in attempt to break the deadlock, while Maccabi’s defense managed to hang on. In the 69th minute Deila made another double substitution as Issouf Sissokho and Sagiv Jehezkel came on for Noy and Sahiti.

A minute later a spectacular Melika save from a deflected Boris Enow long range shot kept Maccabi’s goal locked. Malede came close on 74 as he got on the end of a Peretz square ball but from a tight angle and unlike the match against Bnei Reineh, the striker sliced his effort wide of the post. Leibovic’s full-time whistle confirmed the spoils will be shared as Maccabi now turn attention to Saturday’s home match against Ashdod.

Having won the first three matches under Ronny Deila, Maccabi will face another challenge tomorrow as they travel to Jerusalem and face Beitar at Teddy Stadium (20:30).
The team completed its final training session this morning at the Kiryat Shalom training complex under Head Coach Ronny Deila who said at the pre-match Press Conference on Saturday: “We prepared for the opponent, but at the same time we want to focus on ourselves. To make adjustments in order to get the best out of our style, while also neutralizing the opponent’s strengths. We will use these two days to train and show the things we want to see. We are not changing, we are improving. We will continue doing the things we have been doing and keep improving more and more.”

Deila, who welcomes Heitor dos Santos back from suspension and Ali Camara back from injury, is set to have an almost fully fit squad at his disposal. “We have many options now and that is very good” Deila said. “We will use this time to prepare the best possible eleven. Those who played performed well, and so did those who came on as substitutes. It’s challenging to choose the team. We understand that we are a team, we can make use of having a strong bench. We need everyone, and there will be players left out of the squad. That’s not easy for the coach or for the player. Decisions have to be made, but we win and lose together. The way to achieve results is for everyone to move in the same direction, put the team first, and make the best of the situation.”

The 30-year-old skipper who leads Maccabi’s goal scoring charts with 12 goals in all competitions faced the media ahead of Monday’s WINNER League match away to Beitar Jerusalem.

The most experienced player in the Maccabi squad who played under several coaches during his time with the senior squad, and has showed good form since Ronny Deila’s appointment. Convincing victories over Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi Jaffa and Bnei Reieneh saw Ronny Deila hit the ground running, as Peretz said: “The matches we’ve experienced so far were also a kind of test, games where at times we struggled to create chances and score. I’m happy that the team is producing, full of energy, scoring goals and managing games properly. Now it’s a different match, a team above us in the table, with excellent players and a very good side. We’ll prepare accordingly.”

As Maccabi will not have any fans supporting the team at Teddy following a suspended sentence which the IFA activated, Peretz said: “We won’t have our fans, which is significant, but we will focus on what’s in our hands and do our part.”

As Maccabi go into MD23 five points behind second place Beitar and nine adtift of leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva, Peretz insisted: “We are here to do our very best. Of course, at Maccabi it’s all the way, as strong as it gets. We’ll do everything to be there until the very end. From game to game we’re adjusting ourselves to the coach and to the approach, and I think we are building something great here. We will need to bring that to life in every match. Talking about May now is a long way ahead. There are many matches until then and we’ll need to take care of our business game by game.”

On his personal form since Deila’s appointment, Peretz said: “Under Ronny, they’re definitely sharpening me as a player and sharpening us as a team. It’s doing good things for us. You can see it with the wingers and the full-backs. He fine-tunes the details and I think that’s very good for us as players.”

The 6-2 defeat to Beitar when both teams last met at Bloomfield on MD10 remains a low point in Maccabi’s season, but Peretz remained adamant it is not something which should have any influence on Monday’s encounter: “I think our duty as players, staff and everyone involved in football is to wake up the next day and move forward. Carrying that burden isn’t realistic because you can’t recover that way. Alongside a great half, you know that Beitar is a team that feeds off energy and waits for mistakes, that’s the main lesson. We know that even if we’re having an outstanding game, they’re very dangerous, especially at Teddy with their supporters, and we’ll need to keep that in mind.”

“It’s a match between two very dominant teams that both really want to win,” he added. “If we stick to the coach’s key points and go down that path together as one, it will be an excellent game for us, and that’s our duty. To believe in the path and follow it.”

On the settling in of Emir Sahiti who scored three goals in three matches since joining Maccabi on loan from Hamburg, Peretz said: “He is a wonderful guy, truly a wonderful guy. You can see the amazing way in which he settled in, he is enjoying himself and flourishing. It makes me very happy to see a player join and settle in so quickly”.

Maccabi Tel Aviv is pleased to announce that 18-year-old goalkeeper Idan Trau has signed a new three-year contract, with an option to extend for a further two seasons.

Trau, who joined Maccabi’s Youth Academy at the age of 13 and has progressed steadily through the ranks. Over the past two seasons, Trau featured prominently for Maccabi Tel Aviv ‘Shachar’ U19s, making 51 appearances in all competitions.

Afte signing his contract, Trau told the club’s official website: “I am proud to be part of the club I joined at the age of 13 and happy to sign a long-term contract at Maccabi. From a young age, I have believed in hard work, and for my part I will continue to do everything I can to keep developing.”

At international level, Trau is a member of Israel’s Under-19 national team, where he made two appearances, and has also made four appearances with Israel’s U17’s and U16’s.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC would like to thank Technical Director Dominic Price, who is leaving his role after two and a half successful years at the Club.

Dominic joined Maccabi in the summer of 2023 and played a significant role in the evolution of the Club’s professional structure and was also integral in implementing the strategy for the recruitment and development of players in difficult and challenging circumstances.

Dominic’s hard work and professionalism combined with his humble approach and willingness to embrace the demands of the role made him a natural fit for the Club.

 Owner, Mitch Goldhar said: “I thank Dominic for his dedication and commitment. It was a pleasure to work with someone with his knowledge and demeanor. He was not always front and center but remained effective and certainly left his mark. I wish him success in the next chapter of his career. Dominic will always be part of the Maccabi family.

 

Ofek Melika experienced a rollercoaster ride of a season at Maccabi so far after beginning the campaign with a red after 19 minutes of his European debut against Pafos. The 21-year-old keeper waited for his chance on the bench, and became a hero overnight as he saved a crucial spot kick in the State Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv. Melika, who claimed the number one jersey and kept a clean sheet in the 4-0 league victory over Maccabi Bnei Reineh, said after the match: “It was very important. We’re all feeling good. There’s new energy and a new atmosphere. I hope we keep looking good and that the feelings stay positive.”

Melika paid tribute to the former coach Zarko Lazetic and his coaching staff as he said: “I think it’s a change in atmosphere, and I really want to thank Žarko Lazetic, the goalkeeping coach Dragan Bajic and his entire staff, I truly enjoyed working with them; first and foremost, they are amazing people. Right now the team has gained a bit more energy, and I’m very happy to be working now with Ronny Deila and with the new goalkeeping coach who arrived. I’ve been very impressed by them. I’m happy they trust me and give me minutes, and I hope we can achieve great things this year.”

On the arrival of Dean Kiely, his new goalkeeping coach, Melika said: “It’s very exciting to work with him. Honestly, I knew who he was beforehand, and my dad is a big admirer. All of his demands, what he expects from me, and the way he runs training, it’s a lot of fun working with him.”

The fact Maccabi are nine points adrift of leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva didn’t shake the confidence of the young custodian who insisted: “I think everything is possible. There’s still the playoffs and we have knockout matches, anything can happen. We’ll just keep going down this path and things will be good.”

On a personal note, Melika summed up: “All my life I’ve been with teams that were underdogs, so I always had to be ready to step in. That’s something I’m used to. I think I’m doing a good job and I hope to continue like this. For me it’s harder to be ready for one or two situations in a half, because you can suddenly lose a bit of connection with the game. But in the end, that’s our job, to stay focused at all times, and hopefully we’ll keep improving.”