"The loss to Santa Coloma contributed to Israeli football"

Eli Cohen does not forget the problematic opening conditions ("it was natural for us to lose"), Erez Mesika sees the effect of fear ("When you want to warn an Israeli group in Europe, we are reminded") and in Mishalov the pain is mostly sore.

Exactly 15 years later, the people behind the famous loss are sure: we did only good

Yaniv Tuchman

19/07/2022

Tuesday, July 19, 2022, 9:30 p.m.

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The name Santa Coloma has been reverberating in Israeli football for 15 years, with teams drawn for games in the qualifying rounds of European factories.

On July 19, 2007, exactly 15 years ago, Maccabi Tel Aviv came to Andorra for a game against the same unknown team and lost 1: 0.

In return, Maccabi Tel Aviv has already won easily and moved on to the next round, but that loss to the semi-professional team is a warning sign that has been placed in front of the teams here in Israel for a very long time.

15 years later, the order of that Maccabi Tel Aviv coach, Eli Cohen, makes it clear that in relation to what was then in the club, the loss was not so sensational.

"We arrived in bad conditions for the game in Andorra," the sheriff recalled yesterday.

"We were not in full preparation. There was no contempt, but the preparation was not as I used to and as I like. The media probably also added when underestimating the value of Santa Coloma and as much as I warned, it did not help. ".

Watch Bali Cohen with Yossi Shibhon after the famous loss

Eli Cohen with Yossi Shibhon after the loss of Maccabi Tel Aviv against Santa Coloma in 2007 (Photo and editing: Itai Hassid)

"It was Maccabi Tel Aviv after the Galacticos and there was a huge reduction in money. We did the summer 2007 camp excellently, but that game in Andorra was difficult. Given the conditions that were then at Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was completely natural to have such a loss."

You came from a training camp in the Netherlands straight to Andorra.

"The training camp was difficult and we got straight to Andorra. The journey was not easy. It is not like what is happening today, certainly not at Maccabi Tel Aviv. It was a difficult time at Maccabi Tel Aviv. Financially, we were in a very poor situation. The budgets I had for foreign players were a joke. I had nine home players in the squad. "

"True. The 2006/7 season was excellent for Maccabi Tel Aviv even though the economic situation was bad. It was Maccabi Tel Aviv after the Galacticos and there was a huge reduction in money. We did an excellent summer camp in the summer of 2007, but that game in Andorra was difficult. Given the conditions then At Maccabi Tel Aviv, it was only natural that there would be such a loss. Although it is a loss that everyone has been talking about ever since and mentioned, it was a glitch that was fixed two weeks after that. It was not that we were eliminated by Santa Coloma. To that country and we gave them a quartet. In that game in Andorra a lot of children played. Sharan Yeni, Yuval Shpongin, Uri Sheetrit, Omer Peretz, Omri Ron. It was a team with a budget to go down in the league and these children were excellent the previous season. Arkady Gaydamak's Jerusalem with a budget of over NIS 100 million. "

"Obviously they are looking for the bad all the time. It is not that we flew by them. The match is always of a pair of games, so it is natural to lose the first game. In light of everything that was then at Maccabi Tel Aviv, the loss there is not as sensational as they made of it. "Aviv was then mostly there, there were no big budgets. We then had to fly from the Netherlands from a hard training camp to play in Andorra. To make the way for hours on the bus. The preparation was not good."

Another era.

Eli Cohen in 2007 (Photo: Berni Ardov)

"We probably did something good then against Santa Coloma, because it's a fact that to this day we remember this game and it's a warning sign for all teams. Even negative publicity is publicity that can do something good."

Erez Mesika was then a senior player at Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Three years earlier he helped the team qualify for the Champions League and the five years he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv were the best years of his life for him.

Mesika currently runs football schools in the Hadera area.

He remembers the game in Santa Coloma very well.

"Apparently we did something good then against Santa Coloma, because the fact that to this day we remember this game and it is a warning sign for all teams. Negative advertising is also advertising that can do something good. Eli Cohen was the late coach Vicky Peretz was the assistant.

We were a very modest group then.

Not like Mitch Goldhaar's Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Maccabi Tel Aviv was then scarce in terms of resources.

What they put in they took out and if it could be reduced, they would reduce.

We did not build a team for the championship then because there was no money like today. "

"It was a journey there. It was not easy to get there. We had to land in Barcelona and travel for hours by bus. Overall Eli Cohen knew how to hold us well, but it was a game on a small field with bad grass. In any case we had to win, but nothing worked out from the start. "It felt difficult for me. I invested and made an effort but we did not get to the situations because of the conditions of the field. The team there closed in on a small field that reminded me of a game in the village. In Bloomfield two weeks later we won easily."

"In recent years no, but they would have reminded me of Santa Coloma for years and it was embarrassing."

"It was not comfortable here because there really was a lot of criticism. To Eli Cohen's credit, he knew how to put that aside and forget that game so that we would arrive prepared and regain the lost honor."

No bad publicity.

Erez concludes against Santa Coloma (Photo: Berni Ardov)

"We had a trip from Barcelona to Andorra and the bus got stuck two days before the game. The whole journey to Andorra was one big attrition. Out of 20 games against them, we would lose once and that loss came in that game."

In that Maccabi Tel Aviv, Omar Peretz did all the roles on the right line and on offense.

He remembers the game well.

"We drove before Santa Coloma to a training camp in Merlot. We were there for almost two weeks and then we moved to Andorra. We had a trip from Barcelona to Andorra and the bus got stuck two days before the game. The whole trip to Andorra was one big attrition. Both physically and mentally. Very low. Out of 20 games against them, we would lose once and that loss came in the same game. As time went on in the game, we lost ourselves on the pitch. There was a difference in qualities between the players, but the pitch was on the face and the journey was exhausting. We felt we were losing. "

"There was a big echo after the loss in the country. Even before the game it was clear to me that we were going to play against a non-professional team. We felt we were going to win easily, but the game started and everything went wrong for us. We saw a catastrophe and nothing went our way. "The loss was very embarrassing. The media here laughed at us. They went to do articles about the professions of the players in Santa Coloma. One was a postman and another was a carpenter I think."

"Definitely. An unpleasant loss. At least we did something good for everyone, because every Israeli team is scared today when it remembers Santa Coloma."

"Probably. 15 years have passed and every time Santa Coloma is mentioned and the players are warned. We contributed to Israeli football with this loss."

Everything went wrong.

Omar Peretz with Avi Nemani against Santa Coloma (Photo: Berni Ardov)

Moshe Mishalov was then a Maccabi Tel Aviv stopper.

The man who today serves as chairman of the players' association does not remember too much, because he is mainly in pain and not because of the loss.

I started that game against Santa Coloma and the whole game I just suffered from the pelvis.

I finally came to Eli Cohen and told him that I was no longer able to play like that.

So they sent me for a photo shoot and found a tear in my pelvis.

I haven't played for five months after that. "

" Almost nothing.

Remember only excruciating pain.

The team was in awe of the result, but I was exhausted from the pain. "

"One was a postman, one was a carpenter."

Santa Coloma in the rematch in Bloomfield (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

The Maccabi Tel Aviv team in the game in question:

Guy Solomon, Yuval Shpongin, Milan Martinovich, Moshe Mishalov, Uri Sheetrit, Sharan Yeni, Erez Mesika, Avi Nemani, Omer Peretz, Yanik Kamanan, Dudu Bitton.

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• Santa Coloma