"I'm still trying not to cry. It hurts me every day anew."

At the age of 32, without prior preparation, Avi Cohen retired as a 'Jerusalemite'.

In an exciting interview, he recalls the terrible injury ("Football was interrupted by a boom"), how he dragged the state cup to his sick father's house ("I promised him") and why he also retired from the team ("Shlomo Sharaf leaked against me").

Interview from the heart

Asher Goldberg

10/03/2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022, 16:38 Updated: 16:55

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"When I talk to you now about my decision to retire from football because of the back injury in the 1995 season, I'm excited and trying not to cry. I did not think then, at 32, to retire from football, I believed I would play at least another five years in the Premier League. "Football is my whole life. My retirement 27 years ago is not something that was and is over. It has not passed until now, and it hurts me very much, every day anew."

It happened in a league game against Tzafririm Holon.

Avi Cohen, a Maccabi Tel Aviv defender, landed badly on his back.

Until then he ran with the team to the championship, but everything was interrupted in an instant.

"All the doctors in Israel after tests determined that I must retire from football. I did not want to end my career, by surprise and unprepared. I flew to specialist doctors in Belgium and Germany who could not help me. Football was interrupted by a boom."

27 years have passed and it still hurts.

Avi Cohen and his son next to the trophy cabinet (Photo: courtesy of the photographer)

Avi Cohen was born on June 12, 1962, married to Iris plus 6 children.

Today he lives in the north in Moshav Manot, and owns the guest house 'The Jerusalem Estate in the Galilee'.

Even after a glorious career at Maccabi Tel Aviv and complete disconnection from the city, he does not forget where he started his career and to whom he owes it.

"The round ball stuck to me in the Musrara neighborhood where I grew up. There was an asphalt field, on which we spent all the time during breaks in school and after school. My father supported me, he would walk every Saturday to the YMCA field to see me play.

In the boys' and youth teams, I was in the position of pioneer, the king of the team's goals. "

The first game in the seniors he, of course, does not forget.

That was in the 1979/80 season.

"I started training in the seniors under Shimon Shenhar, and I played the first game in the old field of Hapoel Kfar Saba, where we lost 2: 1, a season in which we were relegated together with Hakoach Raj and Betar Tel Aviv."

He started as an attacking player.

"I was a striker in the team played by David Yishai, Eli Miali, Melmillian, Yossi Avrahami and Neumann. Coach Eliyahu Ofer (who came to Betar in 1981 - AG) started to put me in the position of right defender.

"Schweizer insisted and decided that my regular role would be in the right-back position. I had tremendous speed, and on almost every attack I would get to the penalty area to punch or kick."

In 1983/4 he experienced his first serious injury - a tear in the cruciate ligament of his left leg.

"The doctors here claimed that this operation was a complicated move and advised me to retire from football. They recommended that I have surgery in Cologne Germany with the greatest expert, Professor Schneider.

It took me a long time to schedule the surgery in Cologne.

There was a huge anger of mine about the club and in the end I flew to Germany and underwent the surgery there, which was really complicated in those days.

The rehabilitation was long, about eight months in which I worked hard to be on the field again. "

He remembers the loss to Moshe Sinai and Hapoel Tel Aviv 3: 1 well." I did not play due to the injury, I sat on the bench, in shock like everyone else.

At the end of the game, there was great silence in the locker room, the whispers were that if we did not win the championship this time, it would not happen again in the following years. "

He recovered from the injury and moved to Maccabi Sha'arim, which was coached by Ofer, in the 1985/6 season.

The team dropped from last place in the table.

Cohen did not receive offers from Hapoel and Maccabi Tel Aviv ,

but chose to return to Betar.

The pessimism of 1984, Betar celebrated a championship in Bloomfield.

It happened in 1986/7, and Cohen was a full partner, including a gate in the barbershop.

"I scored four goals this season, including a goal at the Bloomfield bar against Maccabi Netanya and Kobi Baldev. Ohana kicked in an attempt to score, I stood 12 meters from the goal with my back and the perfect barber met the ball with the net."

Two more years passed, and another special moment arrived - winning the trophy.

Cohen got off the players bus with the trophy and brought it to his sick father, as he had promised before the game he would do.

"A game against Maccabi Haifa, 3: 3 and then penalties. This was my last game in Betar Jerusalem.

In the half we fell 1-0 and in the locker room coach Dror Kashtan demanded to improve the ability so as not to disappoint tens of thousands of fans who came to swing this trophy.

I played on offense, cooked a goal for Uri Melmillian and scored two special goals for Giora Antman's net.

I felt like the tens of thousands of fans that I had a significant part in this precious title.

In Zion Square, tens of thousands of fans waited for the cup and the players.

At the entrance to Jerusalem, I asked the bus driver to stop on the side.

The door opened, my brothers 'car stuck to the bus and I got off with the trophy in a huge car that flew to the Musrara neighborhood, to my parents' house.

My dad was sick, I promised him I would bring him the cup and so I did.

Hundreds of residents of the neighborhood came to the place for a huge celebration. "

Tens of thousands waited in Zion Square.

"Our car failed to make its way to the square. I went down with the trophy and walked there, through alleys a long way, on days when there were no phones like today. I was followed by a convoy of fans who joined in handing the trophy to the players and team leaders."

After one of his two goals in the cup final in 1988/9 (Photo: Flash 90, Moshe Shai)

Then, after this victory came an earthquake - Cohen, together with his friend Uri Melmillian, moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"Until then, I played for the club's logo and the fans. It was also time for me to make a living and do for the family and the children. Few people know that I was able to redeem my player card after the Betar Jerusalem managers did not want to pay me a better salary.

"The move by Maccabi Tel Aviv was led by chairman Danny Laufer and coach Nissim Bachar."

"At that time negotiations were forbidden as long as the league was played.

I knew that Melmillian was wanted and would come to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Uri did not know that I would join him on a three-year contract. "

And again a tear in the cruciate ligament, again in the right leg, again the doctors in the country raise their hands, again Professor Schneider.

"He told me that although the knee is in a difficult situation, if my left knee recovers, my right knee will also allow me to return like new after surgery. I returned after a few months to play with coach Zvika Rosen. Schneider came to Israel at least twice for sports workshops, we met and it was exciting to be by his side." .

"We had wonderful players combined with young people along with veterans. A team that is superior on several levels to all the other teams. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans do not forget to this day the wonderful players who were at the club back then. 13 goals. In that season, Betar Jerusalem returned from the national team to the national league. "

Uri did not know.

Avi Cohen (right) with Miki Cohen, Moshe Marcus, Melmillian and Avi Cohen from Tel Aviv in the first season of Maccabi Tel Aviv, 1989/90 (Photo: Flash 90, Moshe Shai)

And of course, the team.

Cohen played for coaches Milienko Mihich, Shneur and Grundman and Shlomo Sharaf.

Following the latter, he says, he decided to hang up the national uniform.

"I played in the national team 32 games, I replaced Moshe Sinai in the role of captain. I loved every day and every game in the Israeli team. In singing the national anthem I felt proud to represent Jerusalem and the whole country. Sharaf wanted to appoint Nir Klinger captain. Questionnaire for players who they want for the job, 90 percent chose me. I did not understand why he was leaking to the team reporters against me. I had a conversation with him in the presence of fitness coach Avri Muncher, in which Sharaf denied that he was leaking. I have the truth about him. It's neither beautiful nor respectable, there is no need to trade here, but it was very ugly. I decided to hold a press conference at a restaurant on the promenade in Tel Aviv. I announced my retirement after the loss to Sweden 3: 1 in November 1992.

It was fair to say my opinion there and explain myself about the national coach and his ugly way.

There is a national chapter that I was proud to be a part of. "

In recent years he has returned to religion.

"I grew up in a traditional religious home, I did not go through a change. My wife Iris supported me as a football player and happily accepted the move. Our children are not anxious, they are Sabbath-keepers and educated."

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