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Soccer / Profile / Beitar's accidental starter hopes to stick around a bit longer By Matan Krakow In the richest and most beloved soccer club in Israel, which perennially chases titles and plays in Europe, you don't take for granted seeing an inexperienced 20-year old standing between the posts. However, should club chairman Itzik Korenfein get his way, Ariel Harush will become the double title holders' starting goalkeeper much sooner than expected. Korenfein, who came through the ranks with Hapoel Jerusalem, eventually became a Beitar legend as the team's goalie, at least until Yitzhak Shum showed up. Shum replaced the veteran with a young talent, Tvrtko Kale, the team's current first-choice goalkeeper. Advertisement Korenfein never openly came out against Kale and has even showed him a certain measure of respect, but since the Croatian's first crucial game in yellow and black against Copenhagen a year ago, through the pair of matches against Wisla Krakow this season, he probably could not help imagining himself doing no worse a job than his successor. If this new scenario comes to bear and Harush replaces Kale in the team, "revenge" would not be the best way to describe the chairman's feelings, rather "closing a circle" would certainly be an appropriate way to describe the ambitions of Korenfein, who has espoused fostering home-grown youngsters. The fans' choice In the fifth minute of Beitar's game at Teddy Stadium against Hapoel Petah Tikva last week, Kale got caught in the cleats of Petah Tikva's M'peti Nimba. Despite attempts to recover, the goalkeeper had to leave the game before the half was over, suffering from a gash in his ankle that required stitches. The story gets complicated from here. The day before Saturday's match against Ashdod S.C., Kale practiced "like a panther," according to people in the club, but the next day he told coach Reuven Atar that he didn't feel he could play and let Atar decide who would start. Kale doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. After all, he is injured and has hardly missed a game during his time with the team. Yet, Harush's successful debut in the Ashdod game almost guarantees him the starting jersey for the match against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Monday. Sources in the club believe the team is looking ahead to the end of this year, when Kale's contract expires. It is doubtful that Beitar will renew his contract considering his disappointing performances in European competition. Though it's still too early to determine, Atar's decision to go with him and his performance against Hapoel Tel Aviv work in his favor. A fan survey conducted this week by Beitar-Net shows that the fans have already made up their minds: 60 percent of them are convinced Harush should be starting on Monday. Still, Guy Azuri, the head coach of Maccabi Petah Tikva who coached Harush on Beitar's youth team for two years, says that as good as he is, Harush will only develop into an outstanding goalkeeper if he takes time to accumulate experience within the Beitar system. As part of the youth team, Harush helped the team win a double title in the 2006/07 season and the league championship last season. Some of his former teammates agree with Azuri that Harush still lacks some mental maturity. "He creates an atmosphere of quiet confidence on and off the pitch," says one former youth teammate, "but he has his childish moments. He would turn out the lights in the locker room before games, start to throw things and everyone would join in and laugh about it." Harush has not only caught the eye of Beitar but also that of Motti Ivanir, coach of the under-21 national team. "My three goalies are now overage," he says, "and I have no goalie at the right age to be on the first team who also starts in the Premier League or National League." Ivanir says it is important Harush gets as much experience playing for Beitar, as "right now there's no question he is the leading candidate to be the youth's next goalkeeper. He impressed me on Shabbat against Ashdod, but I am already familiar with his talent. I'm not betting on the team's decisions, but it will be most helpful to us for him to gain the experience." And what are they saying at Beitar? They're not saying anything. The club forbids Harush from granting interviews and says it wants to protect him from the press, to keep him focused on his job. Perhaps the pressure already got to him yesterday in a 3-2 loss to Bnei Yehuda. That suggests the need for more maturing. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Damaging remarks Right-wing MK Lieberman says Egyptian president Mubarak can "go to hell." Joe on Israel Overnight media sensation says Obama presidency would spell "death of Israel."

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