The trend of prestigious training matches between the elite European teams that flooded Israel for the past three years came to an end this summer with and without connection to the operation in Gaza.
Even before the sad cancellation of the game between Atlético Madrid and Juventus, it was clear that the last two games between Roma and Tottenham and the one that was canceled last night were not financial successes, given the amount of tickets left in the box office on the eve of the games.
The Colchoneros.
will not reach Israel, photo: EPA
"Before a football game in a stadium, unlike a concert, is something whose profits are very limited: you have a ceiling of tickets for sale and you cannot take NIS 1,000 per ticket from more than one stand, because this is not a concert in a park," explains a source familiar with the details.
"Usually it's about the ego of producers who want to show 'who has the bigger one'."
There is another point that causes the games to not completely stimulate the Israeli football fans.
Apart from being friendly matches at the beginning of the season, these friendly matches are mainly typical of countries that do not take part in the European Cups, such as the countries of the Gulf or the Far East, but the Israeli teams have already brought European empires to Israel, as has the Israeli national team, and more for official games.
Tottenham and Roma in Sami Ofer, photo: Oren Aharoni
So the Israeli audience gets to see stars here who come to make an effort and not just hang out with local celebrities.
"The thing is," explains a senior Israeli soccer person working in the international market, "that the treatment of Israeli soccer and the local leagues is starting to look as if we are the Chinese or Qatari league, which can pay a lot to second- or third-tier players in Europe and raise prices because of these unnecessary games. This An impact on the local market, which I doubt if anyone even noticed except for people who are involved in the field."
The star-loving Israeli audience can relax, because in regards to the games for which Sylvan Adams is responsible, whose purpose is a contribution to the audience and society and not a financial matter, next year a Super Cup match of one of Europe's top leagues is expected to take place in Israel again.
After two years with the French Super Cup, the desire is to see a game from another league, although the Israeli audience will of course not object to seeing Messi and Neymar again.
Messi in Bloomfield.
No one will object to seeing him here again, photo: Oren Aharoni
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