"Maccabi Haifa accused me of something I did not do. I could not overcome"
30 years after receiving a message about the end of his career at the club, Ofer Mizrahi is still in pain ("The heart shattered, it was like disconnecting a child from his mother").
On Avi Ran ("They made a mistake that they did not take us for psychological treatment"), the 0:10 ("Players at Maccabi Tel Aviv asked us to get off the gas") and more
Asher Goldberg
09/06/2022
Thursday, 09 June 2022, 17:05
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"Giora Spiegel arrived at Maccabi Haifa with advanced training and playing methods. He provided the defensive line in one line, in contrast to the rear and front brake that was accepted at the time. I have a signed letter from the club in which it is written that I am fired from Maccabi Haifa and may go to any team I wish. At the club, my way has come to an end. "
Storm pioneer.
Ofer Mizrahi in the heyday of Maccabi Haifa (Photo: Maariv, Jonathan Shaul)
30 years have passed since that meeting, and Ofer Mizrahi is still in pain.
He remembers well what happened to him while sitting on the same chair.
"It was a huge shock, my heart shattered. I did not know how to eat the decision that I was thrown out of Maccabi Haifa, that I am no longer in a club I love from the age of 6 more than anything, a club where I was one of the leading players and left a mark on major championships."
Did you ask Spiegel for an explanation for the move?
"I asked Giora for an explanation in private. I was told that all sorts of stories came to the club and that I was dirtying about him and the club with Eli Gutman, who was before the arrival of Shlomo Sharaf's assistant Spiegel, painful things that were not and were not created."
And what happened next?
"The pain and anger flooded me and I was severely offended. I believed that President Yaakov Shachar would intervene, that the fans would lead a move back from the decision and it did not happen. It was not professional, they accused me of something wrong. It's like forever disconnecting a child from his mother. "For years and I have not been able to overcome this disconnect. It hurts me until now, because I felt I had something to give alongside Alon Mizrahi as well. I have had nothing with Giora Spiegel since, and I have not seen him since the letter case."
"The pain and rage flooded me."
Mizrahi (Photo: Yachz)
Mizrahi was born in Haifa on March 3, 1967.
"For the past eight years I have been working in the port of Haifa, a driver hauling containers from the ships in the port. I know that great Haifa footballers once worked in the port, such as Aharon Amer, Picker, Victor Young and others."
He grew up near Kiryat Eliezer: "I studied at the Shalva school where football referee Avraham Klein was the sports teacher. The place gathered the children to kick the ball on the front basketball court and the back sand court. I went to the Maccabi Haifa football club. Coach Lazar Steinberg, one of the guns "The greats in children's coaching, gave us the subject of technique in the game. Later, until the graduates of Shlomo Sharaf in 1986, were Hardy, Almani and Leon Avraham who promoted me and Klinger, Lior Rosenthal, Belbul Atar and others to become top football players."
Then came July 11, 1987.
The death of Avi Ran in the Sea of Galilee affected Mizrahi and his friends in a particularly severe way.
"I was one of my friends' closest and closest friends. I returned his private car from Tiberias to Haifa, the pain was devastating. They made a mistake then that they did not take us as a group for psychological treatment. My father Ran was a true friend and they remembered us."
It is impossible without mentioning the victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv 0:10.
"Our coach was Dror Kashtan, an unimportant game in the lower playoffs at noon, where most of the fans preferred to spend time by the sea. We wanted to make Zahi Armeli the king of goals and he scored four times. There were players at Maccabi Tel Aviv who asked us to stop and get off the gas, but who "That athlete does not stop and we stopped at 10. Armley completed 25 goals and was the king of league goals before Nir Levin with 18 goals."
Psychologist on the field.
Amatzia Levkovich celebrates championship with Maccabi Haifa (Photo: Flash 90, Moshe Shai)
After a difficult year, which was affected by the trauma of Avi Ran, the championship returned to Kiryat Eliezer under Amatzia Levkovich.
In the Cup final, Mizrahi scored an unforgettable goal that was not enough for a double.
"Amatzia made me break forward. He was a kind of psychologist," says Mizrahi, "he gave us the method of pressure in the opponent's area and physical fitness. We ran from the opening whistle to the end like crazy."
His goal against Betar Jerusalem in the 90th minute of the Cup final is hard to forget. "It was a game in which we were close to achieving a double.
Betar led 1: 2 towards the last move of the game. I got a pass from Zion Merrillie, I decided to go all the way in front of Bonnie and get in the dribble to kick or they would make a penalty. We lost the trophy again. "
After him came Shlomo Sharaf and with him the long-awaited double.
"The 1990/1 season under Shlomo ended in double dramas in the league and in the cup against Hapoel Petah Tikva by Avraham Grant. It was difficult for me personally to get significant minutes of play with him. "For half a rehabilitation season at Maccabi Herzliya in the national league. After my recovery, I returned to Maccabi Haifa, where I met Spiegel."
Then, as mentioned, Mizrahi received the message and had to find a new group.
The next stop was Tzafririm Holon, coached by Guttman.
"It was a good and very respectable season, we finished in seventh place. I left Tzafririm and signed with Maccabi Herzliya, where I was the captain with a huge financial contract. I was the undisputed leader of the team and I enjoyed playing in it."
You have received an offer that you regret to this day.
"I had an offer to come to Maccabi Tel Aviv under coach Dror Kashtan before the great double season of 1995/6.
I gave up stupidly because I had a good time in Herzliya and refused to leave. "
But a year later you do come to Kiryat Shalom.
" Maccabi Tel Aviv said goodbye to Kashtan, Lonnie Hercikovich came to them as the owner of the management company.
"The chairman of Maccabi Herzliya, Roni Kleiman, contacted me and clarified that there was a good offer for me from Grant's Maccabi Tel Aviv. I moved to play there."
But you did not broadcast on the same wave.
"It was one nightmare, a catastrophe, we finished in sixth place. The disagreements with Grant were about my performance on the pitch. He wanted me on the right wing, I insisted on playing in the middle. I had a very good financial contract there for another season, but instead of agreeing to a decision and playing on the wing "I insisted on the striker's position in the middle. We reached the final of the State Cup against Hapoel Beer Sheva, and the disappointment came from Rousseau's goal in a 1-0 loss."
Then came your other bad professional decision - Hapoel Ashkelon.
"I received an offer after Maccabi Tel Aviv and moved to Hapoel Ashkelon in the 1997/98 season. I did not examine the management there in depth, because I was told that there is a huge crowd there who loves football. The decision to come to this place was very unfortunate. I suffered a significant leg injury. Chairman David Yifrach claimed I was making myself injured.
The team dropped out of last place in the league, I decided to retire from football at the age of 31. "
A short episode in the team.
Mizrahi (Photo: Maariv, Adi Avishai)
Who were the brakes that you had a particularly hard time with?
"I had the hardest time against Amir Shelach, a difficult physical rivalry and great fights on the field. Ephraim Davidi was also a very strong and tough brake."
Did you get big money from football?
"I made relatively good money from football, but today, in retrospect, a lot has been wasted on entertainment and nonsense."
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Ofer Mizrahi
