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Soccer / Lahman: 'I should have stayed in Ghana' By Moshe Harush If he could, Eyal Lahman, the current coach of Bnei Sakhnin of the Premier League, would go back in time to last May and completely change the decisions he made. His first regret is that in the summer he decided to leave Africa, where he successfully coached one of Ghana's biggest soccer clubs, Accra Hearts of Oak. "Looking back it was a mistake," Lahman laments. "I should have stayed in Ghana, I should have. It was difficult for me to be there but I should have overcome this. I had good ties there and there's no doubt that had I stayed another year I could have landed a coaching job in Europe. Returning from Ghana to Herzliya was a drastic change." Advertisement Despite the sense of nostalgia that has set in, Lahman's time at Accra was not without its problems. Two members of the club's management, who were of Lebanese origin, tried to thwart attempts to have him stay simply because he is Israeli. "Out of 24 people on the board, two were against me. Both were Lebanese and grew up in Tripoli under the Israel Air Force's bombardment," Lahman recollects. "It was only natural they would oppose me only because I am Israeli. They were a minority and it's a shame that they were quoted in the Israeli press, of all places. They were fired by the board after they spoke up against me because of politics." But what eventually caused Lahman to reach the decision, which he now regrets, of returning to Israel was not the two board members' protest against him but his homesickness. "I came back because I missed Israel and it was hard living far away from my family," he explains. Then Lahman received an offer from Israel Football Association chairman Avi Luzon to coach one of the national youth teams, an offer he was eager to accept. The one thing that stood in his way was that he had already signed with Maccabi Herzliya of the second tier. Lahman preferred working for the IFA, but Ariel Sheiman, Herzliya's chairman, refused to let him go and insisted that he abide by their signed agreement. "I really wanted that job," Lahman said on the youth team position. "When I left Ghana I thought I would get it and I was very disappointed when I didn't." Reluctantly, he started the season at Herzliya, an experience that turned ugly very fast. Three weeks ago Sheiman left his seat in the stands, walked down to the bench and took over coaching the team from Lahman. "I've never been in such a situation," Lahman said. "I have a family and kids who read about this stuff and it's not pleasant. I was pleased with myself, though, that I remained restrained. Sometimes a man's strength is displayed by his ability to suffer a blow and remain calm." Herzliya and Lahman parted ways, and he was then offered the position at Bnei Sakhnin after former coach Freddy David was released. For Lahman, it spelt a return to the club where he first made his name when he led its improbable 2003 victory in the State Cup. So far, it seems like things have picked up for Lahman. His team beat Hapoel Tel Aviv and drew with archrivals Beitar Jerusalem in the capital. Despite his initial success he is acutely aware that his position at the club is precarious, and that he was not the club's first choice. In fact, Bnei Sakhnin chairman Hasan Abu Saleh said he offered Lahman the job only because no one else would take it. "I think the realization that I was not the top candidate for the job has sunk in," he admits. "I know where I stand at Sakhnin and what my emotional ties with the club are like. I think people at Sakhnin know I am the best man for the job, and I've stopped worrying about my ego." For now, Lahman considers his task of stabilizing and staying at Sakhnin sufficiently challenging. Still, occasionally his mind wanders and he thinks back at the tens of thousands of Ghanaians that would come support his team when he was at Hearts, and hopes to coach a club of that caliber once again in the future. "After Ghana, I'd like to coach a big club," he confessed. "I miss those big events. I need there to be a thriller every week." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Violence on film Two settlers filmed shooting at Palestinians turn themselves in to police. Warning to Iran Bush: United States will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

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