"Avitan took the gun and fired. We were in shock."

The disrupted journey with Hapoel Beer Sheva, the historic championship, the sifting from Mexico 70 ("Whisper improved to give up on me in favor of players from Tel Aviv") and the Galacticos project that crashed.

Shraga Topolanski, one of the players who built the first dynasty of Maccabi Netanya, recreates

Asher Goldberg

19/05/2022

Thursday, May 19, 2022, 5:43 p.m.

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"In the summer of 1976, Hapoel Beer Sheva participated in the European Intertoto factory, which aroused great interest. The team was strengthened by Arie Bejarano, Yohanan Wallach, Israel Fogel and I. We stayed in Belgium with Standard Liege. Among those present in the room were the reinforcements and the guys from Hapoel Beer Sheva. The security guard who accompanied the team placed his personal gun on a chair. The cards, Shalom Avitan took the gun in his hands and a shot was fired. The bullet passed over Wallach's head and got stuck in the doorframe. A shock of silence in the room. "By a miracle, it did not end in disaster. In the game, by the way, Beer Sheva lost 3: 1".

"It was decided under oath that it would not go out."

Shraga Topolansky (Photo: Maariv, Adi Avishai)

Earlier this week, on the 15th of the month, Shraga Topolonsky celebrated his 72nd birthday.

He was a senior footballer at Maccabi Netanya, and today serves as a security guard in schools at his place of residence in Kfar Yona.

"My parents are Holocaust survivors born in Poland. We lived in the Amidar neighborhood of Netanya near Motla Spiegler, Moshe Yosef and Yitzhak Dahan. A guy named Ben Zion Beliberg, who played for the youth of Maccabi Netanya, saw me play in the neighborhood and referred me to the club's boys."

At the age of 17, in 1967, he was promoted to the senior team of Maccabi Netanya.

Coach Shmuel Perlman invited him to the youth team, where he participated in the first and historic victory over the Soviet team.

"In April 1969 we participated in the Cannes tournament on the French Riviera. We ended in a draw against France and Chelsea, and because of a law according to which in the case of a draw the winner is according to the funds ratio. We were sent to the bronze medal match against the Soviet Union. "The Russians 0: 1 from a goal by Moshe Shlomovich. It was the first official victory ever of an Israeli team over a team from the Soviet Union. The excitement at the end of the game led the young people of the Jewish community to shrug their shoulders. The community rabbi was also there."

At the graduation ceremony, in addition to the trophy of the outstanding player in the tournament, Topolanski also received a super surprising offer from the French sports journalist Jean Ashkenazi to come to the Italian Inter.

"I was proud to receive the Outstanding Footballer's Cup. In the evening, an Ashkenazi arrived at our hotel, saying that he came on behalf of the great Inter that followed me and wanted to open negotiations for joining it.

I made it clear with excitement that I was a soldier in the Israeli army.

Ashkenazi understood and the issue was dropped. "

Lots of degrees in the closet.

Topolanski today (Photo: courtesy of the photographer)

In 1970 he was supposed to be on the squad that flew to the World Cup in Mexico, but was overlooked at the last minute.

"You can not forget this disappointment. I had a ready-made suit and believed I was among Sheffer's team. Three days before the flight, I and two other players read in the newspaper about the sifting out of the squad. No one on the team or the Football Association spoke to me. Ali for the sake of actors from Tel Aviv. "

He lost the trophy in 1970 to Maccabi Tel Aviv, but a season later he won the club's historic championship.

"It was a big season with the legendary David Schweizer. The fans connected with the team, a season of close victories in most games, but we had a team character and opened an 11-point gap from Samson Tel Aviv, in a league of two points to win. 4 On the power Raj.

He received an offer from Rangers Johannesburg ("Isaac Land shouted that only death would free me from Netanya") and in 1974 he won another title, with Aryeh Redler.

"He was a wonderful coach and person. We all loved Redler and really played for him, he created a family team without Spiegler who played in France. Victor Seroussi scored 10 goals, Oded Makhanes came to the front of the stage with 8 goals."

Shraga Topolansky and Maccabi Netanya players with Shlomo Artzi in the 1971 championship song

He did not really manage financially in Netanya ("Every year I fought for the money, because in Netanya, as in most groups, they did not like to pay. I believed that I deserved much more than I was entitled to receive").

In 1976, he found himself in Betar Tel Aviv: "The heads of Betar Tel Aviv agreed to pay Netanya a large sum of money and transfer the goalkeeper Philosoph.

The leaders of Netanya did not know how to keep me then and my migration began. "

And he wandered. After losing to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the cup final in 1977 (" Bnei Tabak scored, another yellow celebration on my head in the final "), he returned to the team for the 1977/8 season, there again Received a surprising offer. "In one of the opening games of the season, we played against Samson Tel Aviv.

Entering the locker room was a guest from Australia who introduced himself as the owner of the power team Melbourne from the First League.

He asked me to come to a meeting with him at the Hilton Hotel.

His financial offer was excellent.

At Betar Tel Aviv, they let me move to Melbourne, but only on loan. "

"An amazing city and a good football team at the Israeli level. We had Jewish fans who supported the team. The special thing was that every second Saturday we went on quite long flights to the away games on the continent. All the financial conditions were respected by the Jewish owner."

"Khaledi was a well-known name in Australia and he wanted me by force of Sydney. I came to Sydney, I trained there, but it didn't work out for some reason. Khaledi was appointed coach of the West Adelaide team, I got the release and played there. We reached the Australian Cup final against Canberra, we lost 1: "When the gate of honor was mine with a jab."

A huge coach and a good person.

Arie Redler (Photo: Reuven Castro, Maariv)

The longing and pressure from his parents brought him back to Israel.

He returned to Betar Tel Aviv and helped the team advance to the National League at the end of the 1980/81 season with Betar Jerusalem and Maccabi Haifa.

A season later the club initiated a Galacticos project that crashed.

"Giora Spiegel, Shalom Schwartz, other big names and I were there. We went down to the national team with Hapoel Petah Tikva."

At this point he almost made a comeback with Maccabi Netanya.

"I wanted to return to the team I was born in. The financial terms had already been agreed, but then Roni Shartov asked me to pay for my release. I was willing to compromise, but it did not work out and the disappointment was great from not closing the circle and huge anger at Maccabi Netanya."

Topolanski stayed at Betar Tel Aviv, and returned with her under coach Amatzia Lewkowicz to the top league, "but then the rift began with the main man there Arie Kramer.

There was a dispute over funds and income tax payments that they did not transfer legally.

There was a big conflict and I was no longer a young child, I asked for what I deserved,

His career ended sadly.

"Betar transferred me to Lazarus Holon for half a season.

In the game against Hapoel Dimona, their player dislocated my knee without a ball, tore the cruciate ligament.

Visits to specialist doctors scheduled surgery and a cast for 8 months.

With tears in my eyes, before the 84/85 season I announced my retirement from football, a game that was so dear to me. "

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