Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.

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For the basketball club, see Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C.

Hapoel Tel Aviv
Full nameHapoel Tel Aviv Football Club
Nickname(s)Hapoel
The Reds
The Red Devils
Short nameHTA
Founded1923; 101 years ago (1923)
GroundBloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel
Capacity29,400
OwnerTel Aviv Football Partners
ManagerYossi Abukasis
LeagueIsraeli Premier League
2022–23Israeli Premier League, 10th of 14
WebsiteClub website

Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל הפועל תל אביב, Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Tel Aviv) is an Israeli football club based in Tel Aviv that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The club's traditional home ground is Bloomfield Stadium. To date, the club has won 13 championships and 16 State Cups. In 1967, Hapoel Tel Aviv became the first club to win the Asian Champion Club Tournament.

Since 1995, the club has

Milan, Hamburg, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Rangers, and Celtic. It is also one of only three Israeli teams to have qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage, and one of the two that are ordinary members of the European Club Association
.

The club name, "Hapoel", translates to "The Worker", and combined with its red

national trade union centre
.

History

British Mandate

Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. was originally established in 1923, but was disbanded soon after. The club was re-formed in 1925, and then for a third time in May 1926.[1] In 1927 the club merged with Allenby F.C., giving the club its modern form. It is part of the Hapoel sports association which was affiliated with the Histadrut, and supporters of the club were often referred to as communists.[2]

In 1928 the club reached the Palestine Cup final (the first one to be recognised by the Israel Football Association). Although they beat Maccabi Hasmonean Jerusalem 2–0, Hapoel fielded an ineligible player, resulting in the cup being shared.[3]

The

1937–38 season ended the same way, with Hapoel top of the league, but the season abandoned. In the meantime, the club won the cup again in 1937, 1938, and 1939, and remain the only club to have won the trophy in three successive seasons (although the Royal Air Force
won it four years in a row between 1924 and 1927, pre-1928 wins are not recognised by the IFA).

In

1939–40, they won their second championship. The following season no national championships were held, but the club won the tournament for Hapoel-affiliated clubs. They won a third championship in the 1943–44 season, and in the following year won the northern region league,[4]
as well as what became known as the "War Cup", which was boycotted by
Beitar-affiliated clubs. In the cup final Hapoel were leading Hapoel Petah Tikva 1–0, but the match was abandoned on 89 minutes when a Petah Tikva player refused to leave the pitch after being sent off for insulting the referee.[3]

State of Israel

Pyrotechnics at the Tel Aviv derby, 2005–06

Following

1956–57
and the State Cup in 1961, beating Hapoel Petah Tikva 2–1.

In the

Selangor
2–1 to become Asia's first club champions. The club also reached the State Cup final that year, but lost 2–1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Hapoel won the title again in

1980–81, when they missed out on the double after losing the cup final 4–3 on penalties (after a 2–2 draw) to Bnei Yehuda. The following season they reached the cup final again, but lost 1–0 to Hapoel Yehud
. A hat-trick of cup final defeats was avoided when they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–2 in the 1982 final.

Another title was won in

1987–88. However, the following season Hapoel finished bottom of the league (with a four-point deduction for breaking budget rules) and were relegated to the second tier
for the first time in their history.

The club made an immediate return to the top division as Liga Artzit runners-up, though they only beat

Strømsgodset. In the same season they won the State Cup, beating Beitar Jerusalem
3–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

21st century

Hapoel Tel Aviv fans at Bloomfield Stadium before the Tel Aviv derby, 2014

The

A.C. Milan 1–0 in the home leg (a match which had to be played in the GSP Stadium
in Cyprus as UEFA did not allow matches to be held in Israel due to security reasons), Hapoel lost the away leg 2–0.

In 2002 the club won its first Toto Cup. They won the State Cup in 2006, beating Bnei Yehuda 1–0 in the final, and also won it the following season, when they defeated second division Hapoel Ashkelon on penalties. They reached the final again in 2007–08, but lost 5–4 on penalties to Beitar Jerusalem after a 0–0 draw.

In

Israeli State Cup
for the second time in row.

In the beginning of season

$
3 Million). At the beginning of season
Yossi Abuksis was appointed coach in place of Nitzan Shirazi, who appointed professional manager due to his health reasons. On 1 July 2015, the club was bought by Amir Gross Kabiri. Due to financial problems Kabiri and the club split. 2023 the Mintzberg group is announced as new owner.[7][8]

Stadium

Bloomfield Stadium

Main article: Bloomfield Stadium

After playing at three different stadiums, the club moved to the

1948 Arab-Israeli War
. In 1962 the ground was renovated using donation from the Bloomfield family, thus receiving its official name. The ground was owned by Tel Aviv histadrut branch, who were also owners of Hapoel, although today it is a municipal stadium.

The stadium, located in Jaffa, is an upgraded version of the older stadium called "Basa". The first match at Bloomfield was played on 12 December 1962 against FC Twente, the game ending in a 1–1 draw. The stadium is currently shared with city rivals Maccabi (who moved to the ground in 1963) and Bnei Yehuda (since 2004).

Hapoel main fans' gate is gate 5, where Ultras Hapoel lead the cheering, and away crowds sit oppositely, on Gate 11. Another traditional Hapoel fans' gate is gate 7.

Supporters and politics

Ultras Hapoel Graffiti near Rabin Square, Tel Aviv

The club is the standard-bearer of the Israeli left and far-left. It was the last club to cut formal links with politics, in this case the trade union movement and the moderate

Marxist-Leninist Israeli Communist Party (Maki).[9][10][11][12]

Ultras Hapoel often wave flags emblazoned with the faces of

Omonia Nicosia, and Celtic F.C.[9][10][11][12]

A Haaretz poll published in June 2011 identified Hapoel Tel Aviv as the second most popular football team among Israeli Arabs, behind Maccabi Haifa.[14]

Another survey had been conducted in March 2012 by

Yedioth showed that Hapoel is the fourth most popular team among Israeli football fans (nineteen percent). The same survey revealed that thirty-two percent of Tel Aviv residents support the team.[15]

Hapoel's most famous supporter was Arik Einstein who referenced the club in several of his songs, and following the club's double win in 2000, sang their championship song "My Red Team".

Rivalries

Rivalry with Maccabi Tel Aviv

Main article: Tel Aviv derby

Hapoel's main rivals are Maccabi Tel Aviv, whose game against them is the Tel Aviv derby.

Rivalry with Beitar Jerusalem

Main article: Beitar-Hapoel rivalry

Another rivalry with Beitar Jerusalem which is a political rivalry, which is considered (and considers itself) the team of the Israeli far-right.[9][10][11][12]

Players

Current squad

As of 8 February 2024

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Lithuania LTU Emilijus Zubas
3 DF Israel ISR Ziv Morgan
4 DF Republic of the Congo CGO Bryan Passi
5 DF Israel ISR Or Blorian (on loan from Hapoel Be'er Sheva)
6 MF Israel ISR El Yam Kancepolsky
7 MF Israel ISR Omri Altman
8 MF Israel ISR Elian Rohana
9 FW Slovenia SVN Alen Ožbolt
11 MF Israel ISR Dan Einbinder (captain)
13 FW Republic of the Congo CGO Mavis Tchibota
17 FW The Gambia GAM Bubacarr Tambedou
18 DF Israel ISR Tal Archel
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF Colombia COL David Cuperman
21 FW Israel ISR Omer Senior
22 GK Israel ISR Roy Baranes
24 MF Israel ISR Stav Turiel
27 FW Israel ISR Liad Ramot
29 MF Israel ISR Ran Binyamin
30 MF Israel ISR Hisham Layous
45 FW Israel ISR Sagi Genis
66 MF Israel ISR Ihab Ghanayem
72 DF Israel ISR Or Israelov
92 DF Israel ISR Raz Meir

Players out on loan

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Israel ISR David Alon (at Maccabi Sha'arayim until 30 June 2024)
— GK Israel ISR Lior Gliklich (at Hapoel Kfar Shalem until 30 June 2024)
— GK Israel ISR Ido Sharon (at Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon until 30 June 2024)
— DF Israel ISR Amir Ella (at Sektzia Ness Ziona until 30 June 2024)
— DF Israel ISR Ilay Krispi (at Hapoel Kfar Shalem until 30 June 2024)
— DF Israel ISR Tom Ahi Mordechai (at Hapoel Kfar Shalem until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Israel ISR Sabastian Hernandez (at Hapoel Kfar Shalem until 30 June 2024)
— MF Israel ISR Roee Alkokin (at Maccabi Herzliya until 30 June 2024)
— MF Israel ISR Ari Cohen (at Hapoel Kfar Saba until 30 June 2024)
— MF France FRA Noam Bonnet (at Hapoel Acre until 30 June 2024)
— FW Israel ISR Ido Elmshily (at F.C. Kafr Qasim until 30 June 2024)

Foreigners 2023–24

Only up to six non-Israeli nationals can be in an Israeli club, but only five can play at the same time on the pitch. Those with Jewish ancestry, married to an Israeli, or have played in Israel for an extended period of time, can claim a passport or permanent residency which would allow them to play with Israeli status.

Honours

Domestic

League

Honour No. Years
Championships 13 1933–34, 1934–35, 1938–39, 1940, 1943–44, 1956–57, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1999–2000, 2009–10

Cups

Honour No. Years
State Cup 16 1928, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1944, 1960–61, 1971–72, 1982–83, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Toto Cup (top division) 1 2001–02
Super Cup 5 1957, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1981

International

Honour No. Years
Asian Champion Club Tournament 1 1967

Other

Honour No. Years
Shapira Cup 1 1954–55[16]

Youth Division

Honour No. Years
Israeli Noar Premier League 5 1944–45, 1965–66, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1989–90
Israel Youth State Cup 8 1959–60, 1967–68, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1991–92, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2018–19

Record in Europe

UEFA Europa League match against Rapid Wien at Bloomfield Stadium, 2009
UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Red Bull Salzburg, 2010
Main article:
Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. in Europe

European competitions

UEFA club rankings

As of 14 August 2016[17]
Rank Team Coefficient
168
Omonia Nicosia
 7.560
— Cyprus AEL Limassol 7.560
170 Israel Maccabi Haifa 7.550
— Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv 7.550
172 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 7.525
173 Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 7.450
174 Serbia Vojvodina 7.400

Coaches

Notable former players

See also: Category:Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. players

Captains

Years Captain
1951
MF
)
1967
MF
)
1971 Israel Shimon Ben Yehonathan (DF)
1972–1979
FW
)
1983–1987
MF
)
1990 Israel Yaakov Ekhoiz (DF)
1993–1994
MF
)
1994–1995
MF
)
1995–1997 Israel Guy Sharabi (DF)
1997–1999 Israel Felix Halfon (DF)
1999–2006 Israel Shimon Gershon (DF)
2006–2007
MF
)
2007–2013 Israel Walid Badir (DF)
2013–2015
MF
)
2015–2016
MF
)
2016 Israel Ariel Harush (GK)
2016
MF
)
2016–2018
MF
)
2018–2020 Israel Orel Dgani (DF)
2020–2021
MF
)
2021-
MF
)

Most appearances

Rank Name Period Games Goals
1 Israel Ya'akov Ekhoiz 1974–92 454 12
2 Israel Aryeh Bajareno 1968–85 430 0
3 Israel Yehoshua Feigenbaum 1964–79 368 142
4 Israel Yigal Antebi 1999-09
2012-14		 351 9
5 Israel Shavit Elimelech 1996–07 344 0
6 Israel Yaakov Rahaminovich 1966–80 332 30
7 Israel Yehezkel Chazom 1964–77 324 97

Most League Goals

Rank Name Period Games Goals
1 Israel Yehoshua Feigenbaum 1964–79 368 142
2 Israel Yehezkel Chazom 1964–77 324 97
3 Israel Moshe Sinai 1980-89
1990-93		 290 87
4
Rehavia Rozenbaum
 1951–65 78
5 Israel Omer Damari 2011-14
2018-2020		 115 59
6 Israel Shabtay Levi 1977–88 247 58
7 Israel Gidon Tish 1955-66
1968-69		 55

References

  1. ^ a b [1] Archived 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.
  2. ^ Hapoel Tel-Aviv Football Club (Israel) Archived 1 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine Flags of the World
  3. ^ a b Israel – List of Cup Finals Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine RSSSF
  4. ^ a b c Israel – List of Champions Archived 14 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine RSSSF
  5. ^ Mulcahy, Enda. "Asian Club Competitions 1970". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  6. ^ Israel 1989/90 Archived 24 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine RSSSF
  7. ^ Nishlis, Idan (9 March 2023). "Hapoel Tel Aviv football club has been bought The Mintzberg Group of the U.S." Israel Desks. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  8. ^ ToI Staff. "Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer club heading for bankruptcy". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Sporting Rivalries: Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv". 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "The Politics of Israeli Soccer: A Guide for the Perplexed". Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "The not-so-beautiful game of football in Israel". Financial Times. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  12. ^ a b c "Hapoel Tel Aviv on the up after political swing". 15 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  13. ^ The not-so-beautiful Game of Football in Israel Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Financial Times, 2 January 2010
  14. ^ "Soccer-mad, pro-'Hatikva'". Haaretz. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  15. ^ Kuper, Uri. "The real national team?" (in Hebrew). one.co.il. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012.
  16. ^ Shapira Cup to Hapoel Tel Aviv Archived 18 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Davar, 16 January 1955, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
  17. ^ "Member associations - UEFA rankings - Club coefficients". UEFA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.

External links

Achievements
Preceded by
Inaugural Champions
1967
 Succeeded by
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