Yossef (Yossele) Merimovich was just 16 years old when he joined the senior squad of Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1943 and his career with the club extended till the end of the 1950's. He will be remembered not only for his abilities on the playing field but also for the undisputed influence he had on the identity of the club. In 1942 it was Merimovich who suggested changing the traditional blue uniforms of Maccabi Tel Aviv to yellow as a gesture of solidarity with the Jews of Europe who were being persecuted by the Nazi's and forced to wear the infamous yellow star. His suggestion was adopted by a majority vote of the management and yellow has been the standard bearing colour of the club ever since.
Merimovich was a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv's "Golden Age" squad of the 1950's, winning four championship titles and three Israel Football Association (IFA) Cups. His first senior team appearance came in 1943 when head coach Egon Polak included him in the starting eleven at the last moment. The 19 year-old attacker did not disappoint, scoring a brace in his very first start and establishing his place in the first team of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC. His first title came in 1946 when his goal assisted Maccabi to win the IFA Cup at the expense of Hapoel Rishon Lezion. A year later Merimovich left his mark on another Cup final that will always be remembered for the wrong reasons, the opponent this time being Beitar Tel Aviv. Merimovich scored a brace, but with Maccabi leading 3-2 with five minutes left in the match, Beitar Tel Aviv fans poured out onto the pitch in protest at a referee's decision and the game was suspended.
Merimovich scored many goals for Maccabi Tel Aviv, with Maccabi Rishon Lezion being among his victims of choice. He started in the 1949/50 season with a four goal performance, and extended it to five and six goals in two appearances two years later. He was also a significant contributor in the Derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv, scoring three goals in post-Independence matches, one of which was the lone goal in a 1-0 victory that decided the championship in the 1949/50 season. In all, Merimovich scored 76 goals in post-independence play for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In 1958 Merimovich's active playing career for Maccabi Tel Aviv came to an end after 15 years of service as he set his eyes on coaching as a second career. In the course of those years he returned to Maccabi as a coach and booked any number of impressive achievements, including winning the Asian Cup as coach of both Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv and of the Israeli national team. The gifted striker was capped 14 times for his country, his first appearance being in 1948 in a 3-1 loss to the U.S.A.
pictures courtesy of the Israel Football Association archives
