Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., December 02, 2008 Kislev 5, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:43 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

Soccer / Moves by Maccabi Tel Aviv's management baffle officials By David Marouani If Maccabi Tel Aviv management could turn back the hands of time, it would be June - right after last season ended. The team was negotiating the sale of Jonathan Assous to Bulgarian club Levski Sofia, which had offered 900,000 euros for the French player. The decision seemed a no brainer for a team that paid only 60,000 euros for Assous. Moreover, then-coach Ran Ben Shimon was not interested in keeping Assous. But management got greedy and faxed a demand of 1.5 million euros. The Bulgarians never replied. Advertisement As a result, the team ended up with a bench warmer who causes a lot of disciplinary problems and 840,000 euros poorer. "I still don't understand why Maccabi refused our offer," Todor Batkov, Sofia's chairman, told Haaretz recently. As the January transfer window approaches, management seems to be heaping most of the blame for the club's struggles this season on the players. "The main problem of management," said one source in the club, "is that most of the people are not from the business. Until there will be people with proven experience in the field, nothing will develop here." The official was talking about the backgrounds of none other than Aviv Bushinsky, the club's chairman, and Uzi Shaya, its general manager. The first one to teach Maccabi a lesson was Ya'akov Shahar, chairman of Maccabi Haifa. When he heard that Maccabi was recruiting River Plate midfielder Rene Lima - whom he had already scouted - but that Tel Aviv officials were hestitating, he placed a call to Lima's agent and within two days the Argentinian was practicing with Haifa. Tel Aviv made another blunder when it tried to sign Dutch midfielder Sjaak Polak, who has a Jewish grandfather. The team had counted on him manning the left defensive back position after arranging his nationalization. The only thing the team did not take into account was that by making him an Israeli citizen he would have to give up his Dutch citizenship. "People who are in the business of soccer need to know these kinds of things," complained Polak. "For a month I ran all over Holland to get all this paperwork, and in the end I couldn't sign. It's simply not professional." According to Eldad Bukspan, the chairman of the Maccabi Tel Aviv association, "The club suffers from mental problems. One day we'll all have a sit with psychologists to figure out the club's exact problems." Until then, manager Avi Nimni is likely to continue facing the frustrations he has seen recently despite all the excitement generated by his taking the helm. 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.

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