Dominant and shimmering: In a short time, under the new coach Barak Bachar, the young midfielder became one of the most important players in Maccabi Haifa's squad • Tonight (Thursday, 22:00) against Tottenham in London he will try to show Jose Mourinho who has much more sense of humor
Abu Fani.
"The best show in the locker room"
Photography:
Alan Shiver
Muhammad Abu Fani starred yesterday in two press conferences, of Tottenham and Maccabi Haifa, ahead of the game between them tonight in the playoffs of the Europa League qualifiers (Thursday, 22:00, Sport1).
He is only 22 years old, but can already record an achievement in his resume: he managed to get into the mouth of coach Jose Mourinho.
"What do we know about Maccabi Haifa? The funny video of their player," said the Portuguese.
And all because of a silly video that ran on the net after the Greens' victory over Rostov, in which Abu Fani mocked England star Harry Kane.
The yellow media in England really likes to deal with things like this, and Maccabi Haifa general manager Assaf Ben Dov had to apologize on behalf of the club from the Carmel. But the player himself did not need this festival to realize he was wrong. " Abu Fani's parents, a native of Kafr Qara, educators. His father, a schoolteacher, called him as soon as he saw the video and made it clear that it was not acceptable to him. The actor explained that it was part of the celebrations in the locker room, but it was too late. Public on social media.
"Fanny" is his nickname in the locker room.
"As the name implies, it's funny," they say of him.
Despite his young age, Abu Fani is one of the dominant players in Barak Bachar's locker room.
"After victories he makes us hapless," said one of the players, "his dances knock us down. Abu Fani on the dressing room table is the best show there is. He is also a good friend, someone to go to war with."
Under Bachar, the connection that grew up in Kfar Galim became the first violin for the first time since he was promoted to the senior team.
Under him he feels good.
"When it's good for Abu Fani, it's expressed in ability. It needs to be kept within the framework," the club said.
When he was a youth player, he returned from a youth team game with a weird haircut on his head.
When asked to get a haircut and did not do so, he came to the game on Saturday with his head painted black, but not in a color intended for hair, but with a marker, which made his teammates laugh all the way to an away game in Jerusalem.
Abu Fani was not on the roster for that game, but in Haifa they explained that "the lesson has been learned."
About three years ago, when he was only 19, Abu Fani demanded to leave the club when he realized that they were not building on him.
He was loaned to Hapoel Raj, then - under Marco Belbul - he preferred to go on loan at Hapoel Hadera. "He did what was good for his career," his relatives said, and indeed, today he feels a much more complete player.
In the youth team, Abu Fani played alongside Neta Lavi when the Greens won two consecutive championships.
"They were a deadly duo in their youth, and now it's exploding in adults as well," Carmel boasted.
Last season Confusion wanted to keep Abu Fani, but it insisted on leaving.
To his friends in the locker room he said: "There are 11 players in the squad in the squad, I have nothing to look for here."
In closed conversations, Belbul said that he believes that within a year or two Abu Fani will be able to be a leading player, not only in Haifa, but also in the Israeli team.
But the young talent preferred to take his 171 cm and move to her room.
When the season returned, as mentioned under Bachar, Abu Fani realized that as long as there was no back contact, he would be the one to play.
"He did not have to talk to Bachar," his relatives said. "He understood that as long as he was good - they would let him play. He has no problem fighting for his place, but he must feel that the competition is fair."
It can already be said that the break-in of Muhammad Abu Fani has begun.
And what an opening point he has, even Mourinho is already in business.
Hapoel B'Shlosha is waiting for Pilsen
Tonight (20:30), Hapoel B'Shlosha will also try to arrange a European season, and the truth is that the hurdle is much less frightening: a home game (at the Colony Stadium) against the Czech Victoria Plzen.
"In one game, anything is possible," coach Yossi Aboksis said yesterday.