Maccabi
Haifa is a sports association in Haifa, Israel. It operates sports teams,
most notably soccer and basketball.
Maccabi Haifa FC (MHFC) is one of the top football clubs in Israel. It was
founded in 1913.
General information
Israeli records
It is the first Israeli club to qualify for the group phase of the UEFA
Champions League, and reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
In the season of 1993/1994 the team won the championship without losing a
single match (there were 39 matches in that season).
The highest number of games unbeaten in succesion: 48 (1993-1995).
The highest number of goals scored in one season: 97 (1993/1994).
The highest number of goals scored in one season by one player: Alon Mizrahi
- 28 (1993/1994).
Succesful exported players from Maccabi Haifa
The club had exported to leading European clubs many famous players, and
therefore gained a reputation of a "Bounce Platform to Europe". Among the
players that were exported to European clubs by MHFC (and their European
career):
Eyal Berkovich (Southampton, West Ham United, Celtic FC, Blackburn Rovers,
Manchester City, Portsmouth FC).
Haim Revivo (Celta Vigo, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray).
Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Nigerian nationality) Portsmouth FC).
Ronny Rosenthal (Club Brugge, Standard Liege, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur).
Yossi Benayoun (Racing Santander)
Dudu Awat (Racing Santander)
Titles and Trophies
Championships (8): 1983\4, 1984\5, 1988\9, 1990\1, 1993\4, 2000\1, 2001\2 ,
2003\4 .
National Cups (5): 1962, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1998.
Toto Cups (2): 1994, 2002.
Other domestic trophies (7): 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1984, 1985, 1989.
Major European Achievement: head of group in the Intertoto Cup (1984), 1/8
final in the Cup Winners' Cup (1994), 1/4 final in the Cup Winners' Cup
(1999), group stages at the Champions League (2002).
History
1980 - 1990
Maccabi Haifa has only entered the Israeli champions club at the 1980s. In
the 1983/4 season Maccabi Haifa won its 1st ever championship, under the
guidance of coach Shlomo Sharf, overcoming Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel
Aviv in a dramatic struggle. This was a total surprise to the Greens, a club
was known for its "all-around-offense" and flashy technique football style -
often resulting in bad defensive formation and as a result losses. Sharf's
team played with 4 strikers, positioned at point and midfield and managed to
build their defense around the late legendary goalkeeper Avi Ran. A year
later, Maccabi Haifa won a second championship in a decisive performance. At
1986 MHFC lost the championship in a controvesial final match against
runner-ups Hapoel Tel Aviv. The single goal scored in that match by Gili
Landau was said to be scored from a passive offside position, which by the
rules of the time should have resulted in a disqualification of the goal and
a nil-nil result, guaranteeing MHFC the title. Due to a
less-than-satisfactory TV coverage, the issue has never been fully resolved.
1990 - 2000
In 1990 Maccabi Haifa established itself as an elite, and dominating club in
Israel. It began by winning the "double" - League championship and the
national cup at the 1990/1 season and the introduction of three talented
young players: Eyal Berkovich, Reuven Atar and Tal Banin. In 1992 Maccabi
Haifa was purchased by Ya'akov Shahar, who became the owner and president of
the club. Under Shahar's management, Maccabi Haifa enjoyed a financial
stability and a professional working regulation similar to European football
clubs' standards. Maccabi Haifa's highlight season was 1993/4. After winning
the 1993 cup, Maccabi Haifa gave a stunning performance in the UEFA Cup
Winners' Cup (CWC), beating Torpedo Moscow FC 3-1 and Parma A.C. 1-0 in 1/8
final, only to lose on penalties. During the season in the domestic league
(then called Liga Leumit), the team went unbeaten for the entire season, out
of an overall unbeaten streak of 48 games, thus winning a spectacular
championship, and braking many Israeli records. The Maccabi Haifa 1993/4
squad, under the guidance of coach Giora Spiegel, is considered one of the
best squads in Israeli football history.
In 1996 Eyal Berkovich and Haim Revivo left Haifa to European clubs. While
the two gained great personal success there, Maccabi Haifa went into a
slump. The team's standards of maintaining the services of the manager for
multiple seasons was thrown as the team went through several managers during
4 years. As result, the team failed to win the national championship title,
despite securing the National cup in 1998.
In 1999, under the guidance of the Czech manager Dushan Ohrin, Maccabi Haifa
beat French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Austrian club SV Reid to reach
the 1/4 of the Cup Winners' Cup. In the middle of the season, Haifa's
excellent striker Alon Mizrahi left to French club Nice resulting in a loss
at the CWC quarter finals and an overall decrease in the club's league
performance. The club's winning record continue to falter untill the arrival
of Avraam Grant.
2000 and henceforth
Previously Maccabi Tel Aviv's coach, Avraham Grant was appointed in 2000 as
manager of Maccabi Haifa. Under Grant's guidance, the team regained their
dominating offensive style, which, along with a much improved staff, giving
the club with an almost unstoppable team, winning the championship with a
series of virtouso performances by Israeli prodigy Yossi Benayoun, including
what some consider to be several of the finest goals in Isreali league
history. The championship ended Haifa's "seven year itch" and the
spontaneous burst of celebrating fans onto the pitch caused a tragic
disaster. A young fan, Amir Rand, was crushed against the guarding rails and
went into a come, from which he hasn't managed to recover as of yet.
A year later, Grant won a second championship with relative ease, relying on
a trio of foreign footballers: Giovanni Rosso (Croatia), Reimondas Zutautas
(Lithuania) and the young Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni. Following the
second championship, Avraham Grant left Haifa for the Israeli national team,
and Itzhak Shum, who until then managed the U21 replaced him.
In 2002, Haifa made Israeli club history by becoming the first Israeli team
to qualify for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League. In the group
phase, the team defeated Olympiacos CFP and the legendary Manchester United
(albeit not in their strongest form after securing their 1/8 finals place
earlier in the stage). Haifa scored 7 points overall in the group table,
finishing in the third place, allowing it a place in the EUFA cup.
In the 2003/4 season Maccabi Haifa won an easy but somewhat unconvincing
championship with the young coach and ex-Maccabi footballer Ronnie Levy. In
the eyes of football fans and media, the team failed to show their usual
offensive flair, winning the championship due to an overall weakness of the
other league teams. The team's staff, considered the finest in the leage due
to a consistant high budget in domestic standards, is seen as one that
should score many goals in every match, resulting in a dissapointment when
this fails to occur. In this season, Maccabi Haifa youth club (ages 16-18)
won the domestic championship, and an Israel national kids team which was
constituted from Maccabi Haifa players won Fox Kids World Cup for
12-years-old.
Famous players who played in Maccabi Haifa
(Legend: GK = goalkeeper , D = defence player , M = midfield player, F =
forward)
Home players: Eitan Aaroni (M) - Avraam Abukarat (M) - Asher Almani (M) -
Aaron Amar (F) - Reuven Atar (M) - Tal Banin (M) - Arik Benado (D) - Eyal
Berkovich (M) - Nir Davidovich (GK) - Johnathan (johny) Hardey (F) -
Yishayaho Heled (M) -Yaniv Katan (F) - Nir Klinger (M) - Baruch Maman (M) -
Avraham Menchel (M) - Yaron Parsalani (M) - Avi Ran (GK) - Dani Shmilo Rom
(F) - Ronny Rosenthal (F) - Itzhak Visoker (GK).
Purchased players: Zahi Armali (F) - Wallid Badeer (M) - Yossi Benayoun (M)
- Alon Harazi (D) - Alon Hazan (M) - Adoram Keissi (D) - Alon Mizrahi (F) -
Ronnie Levi (M) - Haim Revivo (F) - Idan Tal (M).
Foreign players: Victor Chanov (GK) - Sergey Clestsjenko (F) - Sergey
Kandaurov (M) - Ivan Getzko (F) - Nenand Pralija (M) - Giovanni Russo (M) -
Aiyegbeni Yakubu {F) - Raimondas Zutautas (M).
Famous managers\coaches: Avraam Grant - Dror Kashtan - Amatzia Levkovich -
Dushan Ohrin - Shlomo Sharf - Giora Shpigel - Itzhak Shum. |
