"Our Hapoel Tel Aviv would still take a walk today"

The move that Maccabi Haifa did not have ("I agreed with Shahar, and then came Sinai, I could not say 'no'"), the career that began in Beit She'an ("David Schweizer changed my life") and the national team ("We believed we would reach the World Cup").

Yehuda Amar, one of the symbols of Hapoel Tel Aviv's championships in the 1980s, recalled

Asher Goldberg

23/06/2022

Thursday, June 23, 2022, 5:00 p.m.

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"For the 1992/3 season, Maccabi Haifa asked to join me. I went to Haifa, met with Zvika Weizner and we reached agreements. Weizner sent me to a meeting with club president Yaakov Shachar in his office in Tel Aviv. In a good conversation, almost the entire contract was closed. "Moshe Sinai, who was the manager of Hapoel Tel Aviv, called me. Sinai asked me to sign with him at Hapoel Tel Aviv. I could not say no to Moshe Sinai. I gave up Haifa, I signed for two seasons at Bloomfield."

"Absolutely not, despite two relatively lukewarm seasons. I was so happy to be at Hapoel Tel Aviv, which was my second home. There I broke forward even earlier, under coaches Schweizer and Schneur, for the Israeli national team. This is a love I still have today."

Most identified with the Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Amar (Photo: Maariv, Adi Avishai)

Yehuda Amar was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on November 20, 1963. When he was six months old, his family immigrated to Israel to Beit She'an.

Today he is the deputy director of the Shufersal branch in Haifa where he lives, he has four children and five grandchildren.

"Football dragged and united the town," he recalled, "there was nothing else for the kids but running and kicking the ball. I lived in the football family, my mother's brothers, three in number - Jojo, Barto and Hanania Algrisi - were among the top players. Hapoel Beit She'an. The football team attracted its players in the lower leagues, there were thousands of spectators from the town and the surrounding kibbutzim. More from the legends of the past in the group. "

"In the 1978/9 season, coach Avraham Marchinsky promoted me as a 16-year-old to the senior team in the national league. I played as a striker and midfielder.

"Hapoel Haifa coach Aharon Gershgorn wanted me and the transfer was closed with Hapoel Haifa secretary, who was in charge of the football team. It did not work out at Hapoel Haifa, because in the training camp I turned my knee and underwent meniscus surgery. three months".

Magnificent heritage.

Amar (Photo: courtesy of the photographer)

Amar moved to Motla Spiegler's Maccabi Jaffa.

"Hapoel Haifa chose other players in my place. I was loaned to Maccabi Jaffa. I arrived when the team was in the struggles against relegation, but alongside Arie Alter, Ronen Gabay, Schechter, Chiprot Cohen Tzedek and others remained in the league."

"Under Dovid I played as a defender, brakeman and midfielder, in almost all positions except goalkeeper. My progress and professional change started with the shark. He took me to my most important conversation, told me that from now on I will memorize the statement 'hear and do' "For the big teams, Dovid gave me hours upon hours of personal training of breaking from the line and lifting accurate balls into the field, taught me to break out of the center of the field and see and share the connections in the fast game."

"He dealt with less talk before the game. The situation was clear to everyone. He said quietly, 'Come up, win and bring the championship to Hapoel Tel Aviv today,' and so it was."

Two years later he won another championship, this time under Yitzhak Schneur.

"We won by a margin of 6 points from Maccabi Netanya. Shneur was an excellent coach, tough, but one that we learn from. In conversations with the team players, I learned how much Shneur liked and appreciated me. Due to financial problems against Beit Brenner, there was poor mental preparation for the cup final against Maccabi Tel "Aviv. We lost 1: 2 and did not win a double."

Rich in experiences.

Amar with Paul Gascoigne (Photo: Yachz)

Later he wandered.

"I moved to Hapoel Jerusalem, for a season with great hopes that ended only in seventh place, first in the lower house with Schweizer.

In Makhtesh we built a team to the top of the top league, the fans came but the season ended in huge disappointment and relegation in the last round together with Samson Tel Aviv. "

But in his case the relegation turned out to be a renewed increase "Yes, Yitzhak Shom. We had two years of top form, offensive football and fun in every training session. After Betar Tel Aviv, I returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv for two years and finished my career at Hapoel Rishon Lezion and Beit She'an, where it all started for me."

Amar made 25 appearances for the national team.

"I played under three coaches - Milenko Mihitz, Schneur and Grundman and Shlomo Sharaf. Ohana, who raised Israel to the intermediate stage of the World Cup against Colombia. "

"Like the game was yesterday. We played in breathless air, fatigue and a jealous and colorful crowd of 70,000 people. The night before the game, thousands of Colombian fans came to the hotel, shook the night with shouts and trumpets and did not allow the players to sleep. We lost 1-0. I believe. By now we could have advanced to our second World Cup against Colombia, that was the feeling in the locker room, but the misses of the misfortune of Sinai, Hope and Rosenthal made us continue to dream to this day.

Moshe Sinai is the revered figure of Amar.

"Sinai was a friend, brother and figure of my revered leader at Hapoel Tel Aviv and my captain of the Israeli national team. I came from Beit She'an, he had a lot of conversations with me and was the one who directed, pressured and helped me purchase my first apartment in Rishon Lezion."

"Say it like this - Hapoel Tel Aviv of 1985/6 and 1987/8 would have won the championship today in the Premier League in walking."

"Beyond the positions of the coach, first Dovid Schweitzer and then Itzik Schneur, their players had love and connection to the team and the game. It was a winning connection. "

"There is no doubt, Diego Maradona. I played against him in Ramat Gan in 1990 in Argentina's 1: 2 victory over Israel. The magician is the magician, above all."

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