"In the 1978/79 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv was coached by Nissim Bacher, and Giora Spiegel returned to the team from France. The team beat Maccabi Netanya 1:2 in the round of 16 of the State Cup. The fans invited the players to a party at the night club 'November' in Jaffa. Before midnight we left the place, And we decided - the late Avi Cohen, the late Vicky Peretz and I - to continue to Netanya to the discotheque 'The Place'. Avi Cohen and Dorit picked me and Tali up in their new BMW car from my house in Ramat Aviv C. Peretz and Lior Levit did not join At the last minute. We entered the discotheque like peacocks. The Netanya fans received us with respect. We barely drank maybe one bottle of beer. We left the place full of people, I sat after my father, next to my wife Tali. Dorit sat in front.
"We knew that my father was driving the car like an airplane, I fell asleep in the back. When we got to the Rashpon intersection, the road was wet and slippery. Halfway around the road, the car overturned into a ditch. Tali injured her spine, I lost consciousness. My father rushed to me, shouted and moved me, I was Unconscious, he was sure I was dead. He went to the road, stopped cars, the people took me out and they evacuated us to the hospital. After three days, following a severe concussion, I woke up and did not understand the commotion around me, and the dozens of bouquets of flowers. My father shaved the same Morning, heard the news on Kol Israel, in which it was reported about the accident and Yaron Oz, who is hospitalized. No one bothered to inform my parents. It took me several weeks to recover, I came back towards the end of the season, we won the championship, but we lost in the final to Beitar Jerusalem 2:1 , a game in which I did not play."
A big symbol.
Yaron Oz (Photo: Maariv, Reuven Castro)
Yaron Oz, 71, was born on May 10, 1952. His father Yaakov was born in Ukraine, his mother Miriam in Israel.
"They met during a visit to Dizengoff Street. We are three brothers, I am the youngest. I have three grandchildren from the Rani son, two grandchildren from the late Nir."
Nir was Oz's son. A few months ago he passed away from a serious illness, two months before he turned 41 "It's a sad thing when parents bury a child.
Another son of mine, Rami, played in Maccabi's youth team and moved to Samson Tel Aviv, where he retired from football.
He still plays in the veteran team of Maccabi Tel Aviv, which I founded together with the late Amos Zolotulov."
He tells how it all started.
"Father's previous surname was Hoz, the Dov Hoz family from the leaders of the labor movement, one of the founders of the Hagana and the pioneers of the Hebrew pilot who was killed in a car accident in 1940. Father and his brothers decided that there was nothing interesting in the name Hoz, they changed it to Oz, a Hebrew name. We lived on Rupin Street in Tel Aviv , the city center close to the sea and close to Ben Yehuda and Dizengoff streets. I studied at the Tel Nordoy elementary school, the sports teacher was Benny Conforti, the famous fitness coach. In high school I studied in the 5th city. My idol and the soccer player I admired was the legendary Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Shia Glazer, who was in the same club With my father. I knew him closely as a child. Father was a huge fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv, a Maccabi player in heart and soul. Every Saturday he took me to the Maccabiah field, to Bassa/Bloomfield, to Katmon and to Haifa. My dream was to join the Maccabi Tel Aviv team when I grew up."
Been there for 14 years.
Yaron Oz at the Dan Hotel Eilat (photo: courtesy of the photographer)
For the past 14 years he has lived in Eilat.
"I fell financially hard. I transferred my prosperous insurance business to my brother, and together with Eli Sandler, a former Maccabi Tel Aviv striker, we opened the 'Fresco' pub with an unprecedented huge investment. At some point Sandler left, I was left alone and it cost me a lot of money. Later, a factor My business bought the building and I left for another attempt at a pub, where the neighbors complained about noise. I remained naked in all directions. The pub was closed, and before that there was my divorce with Tali. Lord of the world, the executioner was looking for what I don't have, the situation was very difficult. My friend Mailat offered me to come, arrange a job and accommodation for me to recover for a year or two and return to Tel Aviv. I have been in Eilat for 14 years, working at the Dan Hotel, and despite my age they are not ready for me to leave."
When did you first join Maccabi Tel Aviv?
"At the age of 13, and it wasn't easy because my father didn't drive me or wait for training to end. I got on Dan's bus number 4 to the Moghrabi cinema and from there on line 17 to Kiryat Shalom, and so back at the end of training. I started in the boys' team under the former soccer coach Shalom Shlomazon. Shlomozon quickly brought me forward to the youth, from there to the seniors under coach David Schweitzer in the 1969/70 season. To enter the dressing room and train with the stars there was the closest thing to touching heaven. The model and admired player in the team was Giora Spiegel, to this day we are friends and meet occasionally. In a derby victory 0 5: I sat in the stands, and also in the cup final against Maccabi Netanya in which we won 1:2."
He went to the Asian Team Championship in 1971, Maccabi Tel Aviv won their second cup in Bangkok, but then came a heavy penalty that made him demand to leave.
"When we returned to Israel, the team manager Yosef Matzob accused me of not helping in Bangkok to carry luggage. My punishment was that I was not included in the team's flight for ten days to Paris. This hurt me, I asked to leave the team immediately, I was ready to move to Maccabi Ramat Amidar. Friends and management asked me to wait on Ben Yehuda Street for bus number 4, driven by the next coach, Itzik Shneur. I got on the bus, stood next to the driver, Itzik, and we talked during the ride to the central station. Shneur said he wanted me, and I explained to him that there was no such thing in which I was accused. That day I went to training, and at the end This season we brought a championship."
He scored in the 1972/3 derby ("I kicked the ball that on the way was deflected by David Primo's foot into the net. In most sports sections it was determined that my goal ended in 1:1"), then he was given the number 8 shirt that Spiegel wore.
"On the evening of the derby against Hapoel in 1973/74, we held a team meeting at the Ramat Aviv hotel. Giura was supposed to start the lineup. On Saturday, when we arrived at Bloomfield, we all learned that he was leaving for France and imposed an international quarantine. I was included in the starting lineup, I took Giura's 8 shirt, since There was no doubt that his departure was for a long time. I was very excited, Giora was an unusual symbol."
Yaron Oz recounts the last meeting with Avi Cohen in the hospital - from Moti Exmit's "The Libero"
He received his first call-up to the Israeli national team through the newspaper.
"The team was coached in 1973 by Edmond Shmilovich. At Maccabi Tel Aviv, I played in the midfield in a 50/50 formation, I was one of the first to do so. The truth is that Zvika Rosen was the first to hint to me that Shmilovich was thinking of calling me to the national team. I served in Zrepin in the liaison corps, and in the morning One of them called me the goalkeeper of Hapoel Holon Yaakov Rodik, who was in the position of major and asked me to come to his room immediately.
I arrived quickly, and he showed me a headline in the Sport Ma'ariv newspaper, which said that I had been invited to the Israeli national team.
No one from the football association or the national team called me.
My debut game was in February 1973 against Argentina in a friendly match in Bloomfield, in which I came in as a substitute for Meir Bard, ended in a 1:1 draw."
Then came the World Cup qualifying tournament in Germany.
Our team included many players from Mexico 1970, to which several other players were added, including me.
The tournament included double matches in the capital Seoul against Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea.
With the exception of the game against Malaysia, I played in all of them.
The dream of qualifying for a second consecutive World Cup was certainly possible.
In the last game, after overtime, we conceded a goal in the 109th minute from the Korean star Cha Bum Kun, we lost 1:0 and the world championship was gone."
Finished his career in Jaffa.
Oz with the late Herzl Cavillio (Photo: Maariv, Reuven Castro)
In March 1976 he landed in Seoul again, this time for the pre-Olympic tournament.
"In the first game we beat Japan 0:3, I scored my first goal for the national team. Five days later we achieved a huge victory of heart and soul over South Korea 1:3. We saw the Olympics really close. We returned to the Ramat Gan stadium with peak motivation, we defeated Japan 1:4, and we won a ticket to the Olympics in Canada after a draw worth a 0:0 victory against South Korea."
The team is training in London, you get a happy phone call from Israel.
"We flew to London for a training camp, Tali was in advanced pregnancy. On June 27, 1976, I received a call from Tali's father - "Congratulations, you have a son.
I woke Moishik Schweitzer who was happy with me.
I couldn't relax.
I entered Shum and Meir Nimani's room and they asked to let them sleep and wait for the morning.
I planned a toasting evening, we went to a training match against Maccabi London.
We won easily 0:9, when we returned we learned about the hijacking of the plane to Entebbe, on which was the wife of Alon Ben Dor.
The lifting of the cup already took place in New York."
He played in Montreal. "After a draw in Toronto, 0:0 against Guatemala, we moved to Montreal for a game against Mexico.
They led at halftime 0:2, at the break we deservedly got a header from David.
At the beginning of the second half, I scored a goal, it led to our improvement and an excellent game.
Yitzhak Shum equalized with a penalty to make it 2:2.
I didn't play later against Platini's France, 1:1, but in the quarter-finals I played in Brazil's performance, which eliminated Israel 1:4."
Yaron Oz (Thursday from the right) in the retro game of Maccabi Tel Aviv against Hapoel Jerusalem two weeks ago in Bloomfield (Photo: Danny Maron)
Did you manage financially at Maccabi Tel Aviv?
"With the amounts they paid at the time, which were indeed higher than the salary in the market including good premiums, they needed help from the club. I had a contract and Maccabi Tel Aviv helped me buy an apartment in Ramat Aviv."
Later Nissim Bacher left, Zvi Rosen became the coach and Oz finished his career at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
"Grundman for a short period and left, the position of coach was taken by Zvika Rosen. We were good friends, but he decided that I would be a bench player. Every Saturday I ate myself, on the bench or in the stands, kept silent and swallowed the pill. I went with my wife to the house of Chairman Eliezer Waxman, my wife was sitting with his wife Hana, I talked to Waxman and made it clear to him - either me or Zvika Rosen, both of us will not be in Maccabi Tel Aviv together.
Waxman wanted both of us together, but I decided not to stay, I had several more good years to play.
With the help of attorney Hanoch Keinan, I transferred to Maccabi Jaffa for 20,000 lira."
First excellent season in Jaffa.
"The coach was Shmuel Perlman, we finished third in the table thanks to Moshe Onana's 18 goals."
This place was worth 15 thousand pounds to him.
seemingly.
"I am still connected to Maccabi Jaffa players from my time, but I have not received the money to this day. I asked several times then, there were people there who gave me a block and part of it is where the chairman Kalish Einstein is buried.
" In the knee, a tear in the lateral and cruciate ligament.
With the help of journalist Sigmund Spiegler in Germany, they arranged for me to visit Professor Schneider.
Maccabi Jaffa gave me four thousand dollars for the flight, accommodation for me and Tali.
After the surgery, I was left for physical therapy rehabilitation with a cast on my leg.
I returned after a month and a half to Germany and they took off the cast, the operation was successful."
The trip to Germany and the debt to the professor is over, as you say disgusting.
"Professor Schneider's clinic took a while to transfer the financial account. Apart from the money from Jaffa, it cost me a lot of private money. When the account for five thousand marks was transferred to me, I spoke with Maccabi Jaffa and transferred the account to chairman Yitzhak Asa, he was the address.
The bill for Professor Schneider has not been paid, as far as I'm concerned, it's a bad story for the man who made me a healthy person."
"Suit season".
Oz with Dror Bar Noor and Giora Spiegel as manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1988 (Photo: Maariv, Adi Avishi)
He attempted a dramatic comeback for Maccabi Tel Aviv and failed.
"I visited Avi Cohen at the Dizengoff Center at the office of an insurance company. My father suggested we take a tour of the mall, where we met Yitzhak Shneur. My father immediately shot, 'Yeron wants to return to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv'. Shneur asked how my leg was, I replied that everything was fine. I was invited to training at Maccabi , I invested myself above and beyond. I went to a training camp in Holland, I didn't bother with anything but soccer. On the fourth day of training, in a sprint, I tore fibers in my right leg. I was sent with Vicky Peretz, Mickey Cohen, Boaz Rimon and Itzik Kamri to Professor Schneider. He did not mention the financial debt, He received us very nicely and recommended that Peretz and I rest for two weeks. We returned to the camp in Holland, and Nior asked that Peretz and I stay with the team for training and not return to Israel, because we did not train. I returned with the team to Israel, waiting for the signing of the new contract, but the chairman Gideon Brickman did not Show willingness to sign.
I said thank you and goodbye, I sat with myself,
In 1988, Oz was the manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv, the season in which they won the state cup after 1:2 in the final against Hapoel Tel Aviv, shortly after they were defeated 10:0 by Maccabi Haifa.
"Gyora Spiegel was the professional manager, Bar Noor the coach, Miko Bello helps Barnor and I am the team manager. Together we initiated a move to become like the clubs in Europe, and with the help of one of the wealthy fans, the suits were purchased for the Maccabi Tel Aviv players. It did not catch on that much, mainly due to the lack of success in the league games and the disappointing results. The achievement was at the end of the season when we won the cup, but coming to the games with the suits created interest, not always positive, around the team at home and away."
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