"Shlomo informed me that Chanov was coming. It was like bringing Courtois"

The bomb he threw at him burned after the humiliating defeat in Netanya, the wanderings throughout his career and the historic journey in China.

Giora Antman, the goalkeeping coach of the Israeli national team, recalls a rich career full of experiences and is confident: "Daniel Peretz has a great future in Israeli football"

Asher Goldberg

31/03/2022

Thursday, March 31, 2022, 5:02 p.m.

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"In the 1990/1 season under Shlomo Sharaf, we wanted to return the championship to Kiryat Eliezer. We went to an away game on Friday in the boxing field against Maccabi Netanya. The preparation for the lunch game was not good, we were not professionally prepared. "And Netanya in a game that went into the Pantheon. The defeat was inconceivable, we were all at the club.

For that defeat Giora Antman paid a price.

"There were follow-up discussions in the management with coach Shlomo Sharaf. In a sharp and quick move, I was told that the team will be joined by Russian national team goalkeeper Victor Chanov and I will continue as a replacement. It's like bringing in Tibo Courtois today."

"I knew there was a small breakdown in my career and I was supposed to face and win. Chanov was a huge goalkeeper, he brought to our football the 'dropka' kick from the goalkeeper's defense, and creating explosive attacks. There was competition in every training session with him. Later in the season Chanov was injured, "There were games where I started and he helped me. I had a part in the double that season."

Giora Antman, the goalkeeping coach of the Israeli national team, was born in November 1962 in Kiryat Motzkin.

He works in the second youth team with coach Itai Mordechai and is employed in the youth departments of Ness Tobruk and Betar Haifa

. Says Antman about the talent, “The game between the beams today is different from previous years.

He is very modern, tall and athletic with a very prominent presence on the penalty area.

Peretz is showing leadership, something that is not easy to do at Maccabi Tel Aviv, and is under pressure, he has a great future in football and in the Israeli national team. "

Like many children who grew up in the 60s and 70s, football also began with him in the backyard, literally.

"From morning to evening football games in the neighborhood and in the schools in Kiryat Motzkin," he recalls, "My late father Mordechai would on Saturdays take me to watch Hapoel Kiryat Haim's games in the second division.

Throughout the week, I watched Hapoel Haifa train that trained at the stadium.

Everyone encouraged me that the best thing for me was to be a goalkeeper.

I was good between the posts, and a coach and educational figure named Leon Avraham recognized my potential and brought me to the Hapoel Haifa boys team.

I was short, but then I grew rapidly to 1.89 meters.

I was invited to all the young teams under coaches Laser Spiegel, Amatzia Lewkowicz and Emanuel Sheffer. "

His first game in the seniors was in the 1981/82 season in the national league, "A small derby away against Hapoel Tel Hanan. Coach Uri Weinberg let me play. I took a penalty but we lost 1: 2. "Avraham Marchinsky. I returned to Hapoel Haifa and in the 1983/84 season we returned to the top national league."

Always maintains optimism.

Antman (Photo: Yossi Tzipkis)

At the end of the 1985/86 season, Hapoel Haifa was relegated to the national league.

On the phone line was Dovid Schweitzer, the coach of the champion Hapoel Tel Aviv.

"It was a messy season at Hapoel Haifa. I was blinded by the good financial offer and Bloomfield. The Reds were a team and a huge club at the time. I signed."

Schweizer and Hapoel Tel Aviv did not return to the championship, and at the end of the season Arie Alter joined the team.

"I played very little, I started in the Champions League with a 2-1 loss to Betar Jerusalem and another league game.

Various problems at the club prevented entry into a good season.

Schweizer brought in Alter and I left for Hapoel Acre in the second division.

It was important to me not to fall apart or break down.

I just wanted to play, no matter what league, it was a challenge and I was not afraid it would hurt my career.

I was only 25, but I am built of strong material. "

Then came the meeting with Nissim Bachar, followed by a dream season at Hapoel Beer Sheva.

"It was the biggest season of my career. I conceded the fewest goals, I was selected as the goalkeeper of the season and we finished in third place in the table."

Lots of wandering, lots of experiences.

Antman in the early 1990s (Photo: Maariv, Adi Avishai)

Another season has passed and with it the big leap in his career.

Before 1988/9, he signed with Maccabi Haifa with Amatzia Lewkowicz.

"In fact, I was supposed to arrive after the tragic death of Avi Ran, but they brought Bonnie Ginzburg. We won the championship before Hapoel Petah Tikva. That season I set a record of 1,003 minutes without absorption, including penalty stops by Yuval Ohana and Ehud Ben Tovim. That record was broken on By Daniel Tennenbaum in 2019/20 ".

He remembers the cup final that season well - the famous 3: 3 and the penalty shootout loss to Betar Jerusalem.

We had to quietly lead 0: 4 until the half.

It turned out to be the craziest final there was, in my opinion. "

Precisely with the rival for the two titles, Hapoel Petach Tikva, he embarked on a historic journey in China, after being invited to join.

"Hapoel Petach Tikva was the first team to play and visit China and I was invited to be the goalkeeper. An experience of almost a month in the city of Shanghai, the Great Wall of China and learning about nutrition and preparation for a football game. There was also a triple football tournament. .

Lots of experiences.

Antman in Betar Jerusalem (Photo: Maariv, Adi Avishai)

Antman continued to wander.

The next stop was Betar Jerusalem in the national league, which Eli Ohana joined during the season. "I moved to Betar, which played at the new Teddy Stadium after leaving YMCA.

Ohana returned from his experiences in Belgium and Portugal and helped with the mission.

We went up to the national league together with Hapoel Haifa with 60 points, after in the last round we ended in a draw with Samson Tel Aviv who fought with us for promotion. "

After Betar Jerusalem, Antman returned to Hapoel Haifa, following a call from Ruby Shapira.

In the 1993/94 season he moved to Hapoel Kfar Saba, with which he was relegated to the national league, later made another brief foray into Betar Jerusalem and retired at the end of the 1995/96 season at Maccabi Acre.

Antman underwent training as a goalkeeping coach at the UEFA and was invited many times to lecture there on the subject of goalkeeping coaching. For a time he was the goalkeeping coach of the Carla team in India with a coaching staff from Manchester United. Like many footballers, his family also has continuity, with his two sons Niv and Ofek inheriting him between the posts. "Niv, the eldest son, is the goalkeeper of Ness Ziona.

I believe he will soon reach higher levels.

Little Horizon plays as a goalkeeper in the second division in the United States and he too will reach the Premier League, unequivocally.

He is very talented. "

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