Hakoah Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan F.C.

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Hakoah Ramat Gan
Hakoah's emblem
Full name Hakoah Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan
הכח מכבי עמידר רמת גן
Founded 1938, as Hakoah Tel Aviv
Ground Winter Stadium, Ramat Gan
(Capacity 8,000)
Chairman Flag of Israel Yitzhak Pozmantier
Manager Flag of Israel Dudu Dahan
League Ligat ha'Al
2007-08 Liga Leumit, 1st place (Promoted)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours

Hakoah Maccabi Amidar Ramat Gan F.C. (Hebrew: הכח מכבי עמידר רמת גן‎) is an Israeli football club based at the Winter Stadium in Ramat Shikma, a neighbourhood of Ramat Gan.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Roots

Hakoah Vienna was founded in 1909 by a pair of Austrian Zionists, cabaret librettist Fritz "Beda" Löhrner and dentist Ignaz Herman Körner. The team became widely known and supported by Jews in many countries in the 1920s.

In 1924 and 1925 Hakoah Vienna visited Palestine and were accepted with great pride by the Jewish "Yishuv". Some former Hakoah Vienna players emigrated to Palestine and founded the Hakoah Tel Aviv club in 1938.

Hakoah Vienna visit Palestine in 1924
Hakoah Vienna visit Palestine in 1924

[edit] Hakoah/Maccabi Union

In 1959, the first union between two Israeli football clubs was signed. Hakoah Tel Aviv merged with Maccabi Ramat Gan to be known as Hakoah Maccabi Ramat Gan. The former had a good team and the second one had their own ground (Gali-Gal). The united team became a real force in Israeli football from the mid 1960s until the mid 1970s, winning two national championships and two State cups.

[edit] Dark Times

From that time onwards, the club lost a lot of its strength. In the end of the 1980s, the club was relegated to the Liga Alef (A League), then the third tier. In 1994, the club was involved in a "match fixing" scandal, punishable by a point deduction, fine and a ban on foreign players. From 2000, management failure led the club into financial decline and ultimately the debts grew too big and unpayable in 2002. The league financial controller announced the team's relegation to the third division again. In September the club was almost made defunct and only in the last hour was money mobilized (partly by the fans).

[edit] Renaissance

The club was stabilized and in 2003 returned to the Liga Leumit (National League). In 2005 the club merged again, this time with a small, but wealthy team also from Ramat Gan called Maccabi Ramat Amidar. Finally, in 2006 Hakoah were promoted back to the top flight after a 21 year absence.

[edit] Colours

Despite the proximity, there were good ties between the clubs of Hakoah Vienna and Austria Vienna. When Hakoah Tel Aviv was founded in Palestine, by former members of Hakoah Vienna, all kinds of equipment were required. Austria Vienna supplied their own shirts which were violet. This has remained the colour of Hakoah until now. After the merger with Amidar, the club incorporated yellow into their kits.

[edit] Current squad

As of August 28, 2007

No. Position Player
1 Flag of Israel GK Yahav Yulzeri
2 Flag of Israel DF Yisrael Rosh
3 Flag of Israel MF Dotan Hasson
4 Flag of Israel MF Aviram Elkayam
5 Flag of Israel GK Tomer Eliyahu
6 Flag of Israel MF Rami Davidzadeh
9 Flag of Israel MF Muhammed Kiyal
10 Flag of Israel FW Barak Badash
11 Flag of Israel MF Vadim Smailov
12 Flag of Brazil DF Jendson dos Santos
13 Flag of Israel FW Haim Pontermoli
17 Flag of Israel MF Naor Shater
No. Position Player
18 Flag of Israel MF Duddy Lieberman
19 Flag of Israel DF Omer Rapps
20 Flag of Israel FW Gal Levy
22 Flag of Israel GK Ran Kadosh
23 Flag of Israel MF Eliran Barmuha
32 Flag of Israel DF Assi Domb
-- Flag of Israel DF Benny Haddad
-- Flag of Israel MF Nevo Mizrahi
-- Flag of Israel MF Ofir Azu
-- Flag of Israel DF Tal Shmaya
-- Flag of Israel FW Moshe Ben Lulu

[edit] Honours

  • Championships: 2
    • 1964-65, 1972-73
  • State Cup: 2
    • 1969, 1971

[edit] External links

[edit] See also