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Interview / Filling his predecessor's shoes / 'Beitar Jerusalem is an obstacle to coexistence' By Moshe Boker Hassan Abu Saleh knows it will take a long time, if ever, to emerge from the shadow left by Mazen Genaim. Truth be told, the chairman of Bnei Sakhnin may not be interested at all in the limelight. He doesn't even try to ignore the fact that his predecessor, who was recently elected mayor of Sakhnin, is still the real boss of the club. In practice, Genaim is an admirable role model for Abu Saleh. "Genaim's shoes are too big for me to fill - they're enormous," he declares. "What Mazen did for Bnei Sakhnin, the city and the entire Arab sector is something no one before him ever did. One man alone built a dynasty here. Now I'm here to preserve it and develop the team with the support of our mayor." Advertisement Do you believe you'll be remembered in the end for your work? "It isn't easy to take Mazen's place, I admit. I was by his side for 16 years, and he became popular all over the country. Mazen turned Sakhnin into the biggest Arab club in the country. He is the one who did the most for Israeli soccer. "He restored honor not only to the residents of Sakhnin, but to all Arabs in Israel. The pinnacle was the State Cup final - the moment Abbas Suan lifted the cup, we felt for the first time that there's true equality between Jews and Arabs. I looked in peoples' eyes and saw the enormous pride we all felt." Did you alone decide to fire Freddy David? "I decided by myself, but I consulted with Mazen. Two weeks beforehand, he told me to do what I want. I gave Freddy a chance for two weeks, against Hapel Petah Tikva and Ashdod. I love Freddy. I made a lot of changes to help the team succeed, but it didn't work out and I was forced to fire Freddy." Were you insulted that top coaches didn't want to come to Sakhnin? "It's their loss. Everyone sees where Elisha Levy went after he was in Sakhnin." So why did you settle for Eyal Lahman? "He was the only one who gave an immediate answer the moment we approached him. I closed the deal with him within an hour. We didn't forget what he accomplished in the State Cup [leading Ironi Rishon Letzion to the final in 1996 and winning with Bnei Sakhnin in 2004]." Bnei Sakhnin will visit Beitar Jerusalem tonight, in a meeting that has become one of the hottest rivalries in Israeli soccer in recent years. The extreme hatred between the two sides doesn't deter Abu Saleh. The opposite is true. "We take into account that we have a great chance of taking points," says the chairman. "You don't need to motivate soccer players when the fans of the other team are so much against you. I don't have a problem losing to other teams, just not to Beitar." What do you have to fear? "We're sick of all the preparations involving the police, and are afraid of what might be. Ahead of every game at Teddy Stadium we have to spend a week coordinating with the police: At which intersection will the police escorts await us, at what time will we reach the intersection, and when will we join the escorts. "We need to be escorted at least 30 kilometers before Jerusalem and 30 kilometers on the way out of the city. It's a soccer game, and we feel terrible having to go through this journey every time. It feels like we're coming to a special, unnatural place. Why can't we come to Teddy like we do to Kiryat Eliezer or Bloomfield, with no escort, coordinating with the police or fear? It's below contempt. We're sick of the curses and the racism. It's just soccer." Does it bother you that an Arab will likely never play for Beitar Jerusalem? "I don't understand how no Arab has played for Beitar Jerusalem until today. We want soccer to be a bridge to coexistence, but because of Beitar we'll never cross this bridge, and that's a pity. Every Premier League team has Arab players, and there are no problems. "The only team that makes problems is Beitar. Arcadi Gaydamak wanted to sign Abbas Suan when he first started with the club. Why didn't that happen? When he came to Sakhnin, he told us he wanted to take an Arab player to bring the sector closer to Beitar fans. He just couldn't fulfill this ambition - the fans went wild, and he backed down. If Arcadi couldn't do it, no one will be able to in the future. The same fans won't change their opinions, not today or in decades, whether it's Suan or another player." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Boycotting Wagner The composer's works will remain a sensitive topic in Israel for many years. Bound for Gaza The Libyan ship is the most notable attempt yet to break the Gaza blockade.

Read & React Amos Harel: After Mumbai, the war against terror has changed Responses: 52 EU document on Israel, Mideast: Re-open Orient House Responses: 235 Anshel Pfeffer: Israel, stop offending India over Mumbai Responses: 62 Pope praises Nazi-era pontiff accused of Shoah inaction Responses: 57 Israeli Opera to uphold Wagner ban over Nazi link Responses: 47 More Headlines 00:32 Six bodies of Mumbai Chabad victims arrive in Israel 00:15 Olmert: I'm convinced Hillary Clinton will advance Israel-U.S. relations 01:07 Parents of Mumbai terror victim: We may take Rivka's place as Chabad envoys 21:43 Olmert offers condolences to Indian PM over Mumbai deaths 23:09 Hamas tells Haaretz journalist Amira Hass to leave Gaza 21:45 Bush: My biggest regret is false intelligence on Iraq WMDs 01:02 Israel turns back Libyan ship bound for Gaza with aid 00:56 Fetus kept in formaldehyde for 11 years found in Jerusalem 14:06 Israeli Opera to uphold Wagner boycott over link to Nazis 14:36 Indian investigators: Mumbai attackers trained in Pakistan 21:45 Iran dismisses Israeli military threats as 'psychological warfare' 12:14 German firms seek to bypass Berlin sanctions on Iran 14:29 Body of Israeli Omri Kidron found 5 months after he disappeared in China 11:06 Israeli security accidentally intrudes on live Livni interview 02:32 Five Palestinians hurt in clashes with settlers in Hebron 09:46 Eight IDF soldiers among 25 nabbed in drug trafficking bust Previous Editions Select Day 01 dec 30 nov 28 nov 27 nov 26 nov 25 nov 24 nov 23 nov 21 nov 20 nov 19 nov 18 nov

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