Tel Aviv. A branch of Aroma owned by Shavit Elimelech. In recent years he has become a businessman, mainly in the real estate field. The interview stopped every few minutes, because of a lot of people who came to greet the former goalkeeper, who was and remains a very familiar figure, even years after leaving the Israeli football landscape.
How do you feel in general? 50 It's no longer a joke.
"The truth? I feel great. Does not feel any crisis, everything is really cool. Doesn't really matter from age. Even in my heyday in football, luckily I always knew how to keep my feet on the ground and this is a trait that probably keeps me going to this day. Now I understand how important it is. "
Do you not miss football?
"Every now and then I get the urge to play, to feel the grass, but there's really no chance. I did filming for the 'Golstar' series a few years ago and I was the goalkeeper there. It was a pleasure, but it's not the same. I can tell you I almost stopped watching games, because there is no Really what to see here in the country. When do I feel like going back to the goal? When I see a good game that manages to excite me. I saw the team's game against Austria, I was mesmerized by the screen. In a regular league game in a few minutes, I already start with the phones, switch channels and don't really see. "
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"In a regular league game in a few minutes I already start with the phones, switching channels and not really seeing."
Shavit Elimelech (Photo: Ariel Shalom)
It seems as if two or three years ago you went up to the graduates of Maccabi Tel Aviv and suddenly you are celebrating 50. Strange to you?
"Wow, where to take me. Season 1989/90, I'm still in the youth team, Moshe Marcus is the first goalkeeper and I get a phone call. There was a player with me at Maccabi named Avi Shauli, his father had a restaurant in Tel Hashomer. Everyone who came for tests or was injured in the team , He would know. I managed to hang up, calls the legendary Shimon Kork, who raised me at Maccabi, and tells me in his hoarse voice, "Shavit, come to the alumni training tomorrow." And I really played my first game that week, against Hapoel Jerusalem. "
You grew up in Maccabi, but you are mostly identified with Hapoel Tel Aviv. What did not work out for you then in Kiryat Shalom?
"I went up to the seniors at an early age, I was 17 and a half and sometimes you also need luck - to go up to the seniors when the team is healthy, because a goalkeeper needs confidence and a good and quiet system, just like what happened to Daniel Peretz this season in the Maccabi seniors. Something, to say the least. Take out Mickey Cohen, Shimonov and maybe another player or two, there were ego wars and big messes. Believe me and give me a chance and I did not take it, I played there for two years, about 30 games, and I did not take the opportunity. I was not "Shavit with the confidence and power I wanted to be. At the end, Maccabi brought in Shura Obarov and I wanted to play and I did not stay as a second goalkeeper. I went into quarantine, after a year I got the ticket near and went down to Rishon Lezion."
If you already mention Rishon Lezion, tell how the move to Betar Jerusalem fell apart.
"In 1995, together with Eli Cohen, the sheriff, we had a big season in Rishon Lezion, and then he moved to Betar. I had an excellent connection with him, but he promised the first people that he would not take any player to Betar Jerusalem. But Eli believed in me, and there was talk without anyone knowing. I even closed all the terms with Avraham Levy. I will not forget it, sitting at home Coffee in Tel Aviv, Avraham tells me that everything is closed, takes out a napkin, swears to you, writes me all the sums on the napkin and they talk to my lawyer Dan Hai. We close everything and I understand that I am on my way to Betar. I went on vacation in Greece, and I get a phone call after a few days from the people in Rishon Lezion, telling me that I am not moving to Betar and that I must return to Israel immediately. The vacation and how I land in Israel call me from Rishon LeZion and tell me to urgently come to the house of Uri Izarski, the chairman of the group, who I really liked.Sam Olfiner, who was the main sponsor, the chairman of the Contractors' Union, is sitting there and shows me a clause in the contract that for a million shekels, they can buy me permanently. He tells me: And you will never leave Rishon Lezion for any other team. "I was in shock, I shed tears. You see, I was already at home and in the garden and saw the facility, everything was closed. I got a score of 9 in the newspaper and we defeated the great Betar 0: 1.Everything was closed. At the end Cornfein closed there, I went back to first and my best game that season was Teddy. I got a score of 9 in the newspaper and we defeated the great Betar 0: 1.Everything was closed. At the end Cornfein closed there, I went back to first and my best game that season was Teddy. I got a score of 9 in the newspaper and we defeated the great Betar 0: 1.
The myth about the napkins was true.
Avraham Levy (Photo: Berni Ardov)
Do you sometimes have thoughts that if you were a seal in Betar, the whole animal career gets a completely different trajectory?
"
In the end I stayed first and waited another year.
Uri Melmillian married my sister Sigal and told me in the middle of the season that Moshe Sinai is his friend and he wants me at Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Obviously I agreed, even though Hapoel was not a good team then.
I passed and from there everything rolled.
At first with Dror Kashtan who built an amazing infrastructure, then came Sheriff Eli Cohen and I completely closed the circle with him.
Eli built a strong team in 1997/98.
For me, this is a season in which we took a championship, because it ended with a game of laces. "Is
this game between Beit She'an and Betar still such a big wound?
Do you feel that this championship belongs to Hapoel?
"Obviously. There may not have been a sale of money there, but it is clear that Beit She'an let Betar win.
"Melmillian called me and told me at the end of that season that even for him as a Betar fan this is not a real championship. For me it was like we won. A year later we shuffled fourth-fifth and then we arrived like poisoned and gave everyone a head, took a double and won the player of the season title."
The season of the double ended with your formidable game in the Cup final.
Is this a game that finally defined you as a symbol of the verb?
"I was a goalkeeper four times in those years. I was very stable at Hapoel, I felt like I grew up in this club and I felt I had to join the club and even if offers came, I would not go. The first trophy in 99 helped us build strengths and a year later the doubles, Europe and more trophies "Everything really connected properly."
"I enjoyed every moment with him."
Shavit Elimelech with Nitzan Shirzi (Photo: Dror Einav)
Take me to a game against Chelsea. Your biggest game in the verb uniform?
"I think so. I got a goal, but I felt like everything was stuck there. There was a huge amount of balls that were kicked towards me, maybe 30 attempts by Chelsea. I felt after the game that I touched the sky. I just did not want the game to end. Kick and I take, kick again I "Pushed, kicked and it happened, another kick and hit our defender, everything went. They played really huge names - Zola, Haselbaink, Lampard, so yes, it's probably the biggest game I've had in my career."
How come after a game like this, you did not go out to play in Europe? There must have been suggestions.
"There were offers from Fenerbahce in Turkey and Olympiacos, who wanted me to come to Greece immediately. I sat with Dror Kashtan in a cafe and he said I could not leave, because we immediately have the game against Pharma, inside I preferred to stay in Israel. On the other hand, I have no doubt that if things "It was happening today, I was in a completely different place. I'm really sorry I didn't go out to the places to be tested and it's definitely a miss."
You finished with football 8 years ago, since then you completely disappeared from the football landscape in Israel. Why actually?
"I think it's because I was disgusted by everything I saw in football, everything I was exposed to, as a player and as a coach. In addition, I went through a kind of crisis, after Nitzan Shirzi, who was a dear and close friend of mine, passed away. Nitzan was the man who actually brought me back to football. After what I went through at Hapoel Petah Tikva I told myself enough, I do not want more, I do not want to ruin for myself the experiences I had as a player. But I could not refuse him, because we were really good friends and I trusted him. We had a great first season and really enjoyed every moment, Also in the group, also from the trips to Haifa every day and especially with Nitzan. "
Everyone loved Nitzan Shirzi so much, what was special about him?
"You talk to me about Nitzan and I with chills. A smart man, a funny, witty man, everyone loved him but really. He's a guy that if you're next to him, you just want to do for him and spend as much time with him as possible. And as his assistant coach, I wanted us to succeed. It all came together from the heart and we succeeded that year. "
After the second season, Hapoel Tel Aviv called. How did you feel?
"Of course I did not hesitate for a moment and said yes. Doron Ossidon, who was a good friend of mine, was then on the board. He told me that Nitzan and I were coming as a team and we were in a frenzy. Nitzan got a big club for the artist for the first time "Alone. We got a completely crumbling group, mostly social."
Weren't you afraid to take the group then?
"For a second no. Nitzan then said that Eli Tabib called him and he did not even ask what was heard and what was happening, but immediately said to Tabib: 'When is the first training and when to come?'. Nitzan made a big change there and we won the cup at the end of the season. "On headaches, but said it was probably from the pressure of football and not to worry. He was on optalgin and regular advilim, since the end of the season at Hapoel Haifa and I really worried about him, but he did not want to hear anything and of course told almost no one what he went through."
A game that will not be forgotten.
Elimelech arrests Haselbaink in London (Photo: GettyImages, Phil Cole)
How do you see today's verb?
"This club is no longer as powerful as it used to be. Made a lot of mistakes, mostly managerial. Also lost the good crowd, the real crowd, from my time as a player and coach. I don't think it's the crowd leading the club today. I also don't blame the current management, because expect They invest money that they do not have. So in recent years it is no longer fun to see Hapoel. I wish Hapoel would have a team that would be fun to see again. I think in the time I played, both on the field and in management, we were better than Maccabi Tel Aviv. It happens at Maccabi, it's two completely different worlds. "
At the end of your part as an assistant coach at Hapoel it ended pretty ugly, what happened there?
"We finished a season. Unfortunately and sadly everyone, the doctors found what they found in Nitzan and started talking about me moving to the training camp in the summer and Nitzan will join, because Otto is coming out of it and everything is back to normal. We had to tell the players and share it. I know what the doctor said. Nitzan, but outwardly I have to convey to the players that everything will work out and everything will be normal. And back to work as usual. I had a real expectation that he would come back. Goes behind the backs of us all and closes with Yossi Aboksis, of course without saying a word to me. "
And why did it not work out with Abacus?
"I played with Yossi, so I thought it was good that he was coming and we would probably work together. From the beginning I realized that there were abnormal things here. He showed me the way out. The audience was by my side again then and there was this moment when I woke up and realized they were not waiting for any bud, they They were already moving forward without letting us know. I was really angry, I felt betrayed. I was just pushed aside and Abacus did not even address me. Or join back. "
"I was just pushed aside and Aboksis did not even address me" (Photo: Kobi Eliyahu)
In 1999, Elimelech was the national team goalkeeper before the two games against Denmark. Tonight's game is a great opportunity for him to be remembered.
"I knew Awat was going to play. The game was in Ramat Gan, and it was really embarrassing. Even seeing it from the bench was very difficult. We snatched a quintet and I can't even explain it. We sat in the locker room at the end and told myself there was no point in flying to Denmark at all. Minutes and Shlomo Sharaf tells me that I should open the match. Of course it was not easy and there were concerns, but in my character I just want to get the opportunity and play in the national team uniform. On the other hand, you understand that it is a game for the record, Crazy Danes in the stadium, in the farewell game of Peter Schmeichel, I was afraid that it would easily end 7 or 8 ".
Didn't you fear that the reciprocal was going to be a game of stain for life?
"Of course I can. I can tell you today, when I was in the youth of Maccabi Tel Aviv, there was talk during one of the weeks that I will play in the game in Haifa, the famous 10: 0 that Maccabi lost. Aricha was the one who started in Haifa. Think, if I played the same 10: 0, how could it affect my career. After that I already went as a substitute with Maccabi to Kiryat Eliezer and we got a quintet on the walk. "I will get an eighth here, because no one will be interested in what happened to us and what the circumstances are. In the end, I was relatively fine and we only lost 0: 3. I felt that we left in peace."
Let's go back for a moment to what was here in Israel, at night and the morning after the game. Did you know anything about the affair that is going to explode in your face, upon landing in Denmark?
"No. I had no idea about anything. I slept in a room with Shimon Gershon, good children. I never imagined that such a thing could happen. On the contrary, I still remember that Shlomo made a move and told us all to bring the couple to the lobby. I lived not far from the hotel and still not I was married. I went out with someone at that time and she came with my parents to visit the hotel. There were a few more spouses and after that we had to go to the rooms to sleep. I really did not know anything about what happened at the hotel. Even when I was taken for questioning "Eh, I live across the street and if I wanted anything, I would cut home." I'm a good kid and my dream was just to play for the national team. To this day I have not even asked about what happened there, I did not talk about the affair.A once-in-a-lifetime game, and it doesn't make sense at all to do such things. "
Were you angry at those players, after it exploded?
"Mostly I concentrated on myself after the first game, because I knew I was playing in a reciprocal game. Then they come to Denmark and everything comes out and I was surprised that until I had to play, they didn't talk about the game at all, only about the affair. Definitely very unpleasant days."
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"You see it's a game for the record, and after all that was, without Revivo and 40,000 crazy Danes in the stadium, in the farewell game for Peter Schmeichel, I was afraid it would easily end 7 or 8" (Photo: GettyImages, Mike Hewitt)
What to wish you for your 50th birthday?
"Really only health. With this corona, only health. That we will continue to enjoy life and that we will see good football."
Give me a summary sentence for your career.
"I had fun, I enjoyed almost every moment. There's nothing like being a football player. I would pay to be a player again. The body does not let miss, but this fame as a player, what you feel with the sympathy you get, was quite a long time I was in the top and it was "Amazing. I think in my time there was a huge selection of good players and today there are almost no talents. There are a few. In our league there are almost no talents, there are not many quality players."
If football is good he follows.
Shavit Elimelech (Photo: Ariel Shalom)
Shavit Elimelech
1988-1992 Graduates of Maccabi Tel Aviv
1992-1996 Urban Rishon LeZion
1996-2007 Hapoel Tel Aviv (double in 2000 with Kashtan, the magical journey in Europe - UEFA quarterfinals 2002),
Three trophies - 1999, 2006, 2007
2007 - Urban Kiryat Shmona
Hapoel Petah Tikva - Retirement from football
2009 - Assistant coach of Hapoel Petah Tikva
2010 - Assistant coach of Nitzan Shirzi at Hapoel Haifa (successful first year - fired in the second season)
2012 - Assistant coach Nitzan Shirzi at Hapoel Tel Aviv - winning the cup
2013 - Aboksis is appointed acting coach - Elimelech leaves and says goodbye in harsh tones from the club