Hapoel Umm al-Fahm, the city's great pride, wants to astonish the Greens in the State Cup on Saturday (20:30), despite the clear level differences
Ionir and Umm al-Fahm players in training yesterday
Photo:
Michelle dot com
If you ask the residents of Umm al-Fahm, you will hear that they do not always like the negative connotation that comes from the meaning of the city - the "black source" due to being one of the largest coal production centers in Israel for years, so many call it "Umm a-Nur" ("Source of Light").
And speaking of light, whoever is considered the biggest source of pride this city has to offer is its football team.
On Saturday (20:30), they will meet Maccabi Haifa in the eighth round of the State Cup with the aim of creating a splash, about 14 months after they stunned Maccabi Tel Aviv on a day that will be remembered for years.
"There is no greater impact on this city than us," says one of the owners, Ahmed Abu Alam who took the reins on the group along with his friend Muhammad Suleiman ("Abu Shlomo") in 2017.
"It's the biggest impact on the youngsters. In home games 7,000 youngsters come to the pitches, 85 percent of the city's youngsters, in training 500 fans come, we give them a way and we do everything to lead them to a good path and escape crime and violence."
Do you have a desire to take the place of Bnei Sakhnin as a strong group in the Arab sector?
"We have no competition with Sakhnin. We do not want to be like another team, we want to be us. In this country as you know, there are many Arabs and I think we should have representation in professional leagues, in the association, in the administration. Sakhnin is a good example of how football can leverage "An entire city, both economically and culturally. Who knew Sakhnin before the break-in of its football team? Or about Ixel? A football team can lift cities. The simplest example is Barcelona. Tourism there grew only because of the team and because of Messi."
After the surprise against Maccabi Tel Aviv in December 2019 and when you arrived at the club, there was a conversation about you wanting to be promoted to the Premier League, where does it stand?
"It's a process, you can't change quickly. We are the ones who turned this club from a football team into a club. We renovated the offices, provided equipment, started giving apartments to players, cars, we are working on a special training ground for personal technique and extensions that will belong to the club, working on a pitch Training, we are waiting for the stadium to be ready. We want results on the grass, but not everything is achievements. We are doing much more. We are building the future of the team, the city and the children. When we stop roaming between training grounds and stop stopping in Acre or Afula, we will speak loudly. "Promotion to the Premier League. My biggest dream is to see the first goal in our stadium after the renovation, this city has suffered enough and it will connect everyone."
The Peace Stadium, which is being renovated these days, is expected to be ready by Abu Alam in October this year and will be very lacking for the team in front of Barak Bachar and his trainees, but as the team, which is considered one of the largest in the country, will be much more lacking. On Saturday.
"I think sensations happen once a decade, if not more. The level differences are very clear in every parameter, but in the end as the cliché says there is a game between 11 men and 11 men and we will not give up in advance. The players know it's a big stage for them, 7 players played "They advanced against Maccabi Tel Aviv a year ago and it's a game with a lot of exposure."
One of those players for whom the meeting will be a difficult challenge is Tomer Litvinov, who is playing a second year for the team.
Last year after the splash against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Umm al-Fahm was eliminated against Maccabi Haifa in the quarterfinals when the goalkeeper on loan from Maccabi Netanya was the main reason why the Greens won only 0: 1 from a goal by Jordan Shua. Now the Premier League leader looks much more powerful. , It is also clear to him that he and his friends will have to catch an extraordinary day.
"People do not understand the importance of the audience here, how important it is to us, so there is a big difference from last year. Every player who opens in Haifa is at a high level. At the same time, I think Motti Ivanir will prepare us as best we can.
Are you talking about coexistence?
"You have to be here to understand the strengths, you have to walk around the city to understand how important the connection here is. There is no longer a matter of Jews and Arabs here. Everyone is treated equally, we are friends of each other, and the warmth and love here can bring results on the grass." .
