Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל בני יהודה תל אביב, ''Moadon Kaduregel Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv''), commonly referred to as Bnei Yehuda (), is an
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i
football club from the
Hatikva Quarter
Hatikva Quarter ( he, שכונת התקווה, ''Shkhunat Hatikva'') is a working class neighbourhood in southeastern Tel Aviv, Israel. History
The quarter was founded in 1935, named for " Mount Hope" ("Har HaTikva" in Hebrew), a farm built in 185 ...
of the city of
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
. The club is currently a member of the
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League.
Structure
There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...
.
History
The club was formed in January 1936 by
Yemenite religious Jews, With them Nathan Sulami and his friends. It was named after
Judah (Hebrew: יהודה, Yehuda), because the decision on its formation occurred during the week when the
Torah portion of
Vayigash (beginning with the words "Then Judah approached him") is
read
Read
Read may refer to:
* Reading, human cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning
* Read (automobile), an American car manufactured from 1913 to 1915
* Read (biology), an inferred sequence of base pairs of ...
in the
Synagogue, and the Jews of Yemen are descendants of Judah ben Jacob. Sulami and his friends were first promoted to the top division in 1959.
Two seasons later they narrowly avoided relegation, finishing second from bottom. In 1965 the club reached the
State Cup final for the first time, but lost 2–1 to
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
.
[Israel – List of Cup Finals]
RSSSF In 1968 they reached the final again, this time beating
Hapoel Petah Tikva
Hapoel Petah Tikva F.C. ( he, הפועל פתח תקווה) is an Israeli football club based in the city of Petah Tikva, currently playing in the Liga Leumit.
Its most successful period was throughout the 1950s and 1960s, in which the club won ...
to claim their first piece of major silverware.
After several near-misses, the club was relegated at the end of the
1971–72 season after finishing second from bottom. However, they made an immediate return as
Liga Alef
Liga Alef ( he, ליגה א', , League A) is the third tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into two regional divisions, north and south.
History
League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declar ...
champions but were relegated again in 1976. In the 1977–78 season the club were promoted back to the top division as
Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit ( he, ליגה ארצית, lit. ''Country League'') is the defunct third division of Israeli Football League, beneath its highest division Premier League and the second division Liga Leumit. Before being cancelled in 2009, it was run b ...
champions, and also reached the State Cup final, where they lost 2–1 to
Maccabi Netanya
Maccabi Netanya F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי נתניה, ''Football Club Maccabi Netanya'') is an Israeli football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. Af ...
. The following season the club finished fourth in Liga Leumit.
The
1980–81 season was the club's best so far. Managed by
Shlomo Sharf
Shlomo Scharf ( he, שלמה שרף; born 1 January 1943) is a former Israeli football player and manager who now works as a regular commentator on Israeli Sport 5 TV channel. Scharf managed Maccabi Haifa to three championships, and was Israel ...
they finished second in the league and reached the cup final again, this time beating
Hapoel Tel Aviv 4–3 after a penalty shootout. However, the success was not maintained, and they were relegated at the end of the
1983–84 season.
The club made an immediate return as Liga Artzit champions and finished second in
1986–87. The
1989–90 season saw the club win its first, and to date only, championship under the leadership of
Giora Spiegel
Giora Spiegel ( he, גיורא שפיגל), (born July 27, 1947) is an Israeli former footballer and coach. As a footballer, he holds the record for the longest Israeli international career, spanning 14 years and 357 days.
Biography
Born in P ...
. Two seasons later they won the
Toto Cup
The Israel Toto Cup ( he, גביע הטוטו, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League (Ligat Ha'Al), and the second division Liga Leumit.
F ...
for the first time, repeating the feat in 1997.
The
2000–01 season saw Bnei Yehuda finish second from bottom of the Premier League (which had replaced Liga Leumit as the top division) and the club was relegated. However, they made an immediate return as Liga Leumit runners-up. In
2005–06 they reached the cup final, losing 1–0 to Hapoel Tel Aviv, but also qualifying for Europe for the first time. In the
2006–07 UEFA Cup they lost 6–0 on aggregate to
Lokomotiv Sofia
Lokomotiv 1929 ( bg, Локомотив 1929) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently plays in the First League, the top tier of Bulgarian football.
Founded as Railway Sports Club in 1929, and refou ...
and had to play their home match in
Senec in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
due to security concerns.
At the beginning of the 2006–07 season Abu Siam made the eyebrow-raising decision to sign with one of Mac TA's crosstown rivals, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, a club with a fanatical fanbase smaller than Maccabi's, but more violent. Which is Bnei Yehuda. Although at the beginning of the season the fans ridiculed the decision to sign the club's first Arab player, the furor soon died down, which came to a surprise following similar affairs with Beitar Jerusalem that had occurred in 2005 and 2006 in regards to efforts to sign Muslim Nigerian player Ndala Ibrahim.
In the 2009–10 season Bnei Yehuda reached the
European League play-off, after starting in the first qualifying round, but lost to
PSV 2–0 on aggregate. The following season they reached the second qualifying round of the Europa League, but lost to
Shamrock Rovers.
From
2009–10 to the
2012–13 season, Bnei Yehuda managed to finish regularly in the top 3–4 ranks of the Israeli Premier League which won her participation in the European League qualifying. Following the success, the group became a springboard for players. Many players who were remarkable in the ranks of Bnei Yehuda have moved or were sold to bigger clubs and others were called to the national team.
In the
2013–14 season, Bnei Yehuda finished bottom and relegated to Liga Leumit. However, they made an immediate return to the Premier League as the
2014–15 Liga Leumit
The 2014–15 Liga Leumit was the 16th season as second tier since its re-alignment in 1999 and the 73rd season of second-tier football in Israel.
A total of sixteen teams are contesting in the league, including eleven sides from the 2013–14 se ...
champions.
In the 2016–17 season, the club won the
National cup The English National Cup is an annual basketball knock-out competition held between professional, semi-professional and amateur teams from the various divisions of the National Basketball League. For most of the competition's history, the draw has ...
, and it was their first major title in 27 years (last one was the championship in 1989-90).
In 2017, HAP Investments became the Group's main sponsor. In June 2018 a new contract was signed for the 2018/2019 season.
Fans
The Bnei Yehuda fanbase is predominantly a working class neighbourhood support from
Hatikva
Hatikvah ( he, הַתִּקְוָה, haTīqvā, ; ) is the national anthem of the State of Israel. Part of 19th-century Jewish poetry, the theme of the Romantic composition reflects the 2,000-year-old desire of the Jewish people to return ...
, and has one supporter group, the
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
"Lions Army", who express far-right political views. have been involved in various racist incidents, such as that involving Arab player
Salim Tyameh and have developed a reputation for this as well as violence. The fans heavily criticised
Ismaila Soro when he decided to move to
Celtic F.C.
The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...
Stadium
For most of its existence, Bnei Yehuda played at the
Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium
The Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium (, ''Itztadion Shkhunat HaTikva'') is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hatikva Quarter of Tel Aviv in Israel.
History
The stadium was built in 1951, when the former stadium of Bnei Yehuda was built over. in the
Hatikva Quarter
Hatikva Quarter ( he, שכונת התקווה, ''Shkhunat Hatikva'') is a working class neighbourhood in southeastern Tel Aviv, Israel. History
The quarter was founded in 1935, named for " Mount Hope" ("Har HaTikva" in Hebrew), a farm built in 185 ...
of Tel Aviv. However, in 2004 the team moved their home matches to the
Bloomfield Stadium, though the club offices, the team's practice grounds and most activities within the club are still held in the Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium.
European record
;Notes
* Q1: First qualifying round
* Q2: Second qualifying round
* Q3: Third qualifying round
* PO: Play-off round
Players
Current squad
; As of 24 September 2022
Out on loan
Titles
League
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
Cup competitions
Managers
*
Emmanuel Scheffer
Emmanuel Scheffer ( he, עמנואל שפר; 1 February 1924 – 28 December 2012) was an Israeli football player and coach who was born in Germany.
He was twice the manager of the Israel national football team (1968–70, 1978–79), led ...
(1962–63)
*
Israel Halivner (1964)
*
Ze'ev Seltzer (1978–80)
*
Shlomo Scharf (1980–83)
*
Giora Spiegel
Giora Spiegel ( he, גיורא שפיגל), (born July 27, 1947) is an Israeli former footballer and coach. As a footballer, he holds the record for the longest Israeli international career, spanning 14 years and 357 days.
Biography
Born in P ...
(1989–92)
*
Yehoshua Feigenbaum
Yehoshua "Shiye" Feigenbaum ( he, יהושע "שייע" פייגנבוים, born 5 December 1947) is a former Israeli football player. As a striker, he holds many records with Israel national football team.
Honours
As a Player
*Israeli Premier ...
(1997–98)
*
Giora Spiegel
Giora Spiegel ( he, גיורא שפיגל), (born July 27, 1947) is an Israeli former footballer and coach. As a footballer, he holds the record for the longest Israeli international career, spanning 14 years and 357 days.
Biography
Born in P ...
(1999–00)
*
Eli Ohana
Eliyahu "Eli" Ohana ( he, אלי אוחנה; born ) is an Israeli former football player and the former chairman of Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem. He played as forward or midfielder for Beitar Jerusalem, KV Mechelen, S.C. Braga, and the I ...
(2000–01), (2001–03)
*
Nitzan Shirazi
Nitzan Shirazi ( he, ניצן שירזי, 21 July 1971 – 22 July 2014) was an Israeli association football player and manager.
Playing career
Born in Tel Aviv in 1971, at the age of eight he played in the Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C., Bnei ...
(2005–08)
*
Eli Cohen (born 1951) (Jan 21, 2008 – March 30, 2008)
*
Hezi Shirazi Hezi may refer to:
People
* Hezi Bezalel (born 1951), Israeli businessman
* Hezi Eshel (born 1931), retired Israel Defense Forces lieutenant colonel
* Hezi Leskali (1952–1994), Israeli artist
* Hezi Levi, commander of the Medical Corps (Israel), ...
(March 30, 2008 – June 30, 2008)
*
Guy Luzon
Guy Luzon ( he, גיא לוזון; born 7 August 1975) is an Israeli former footballer and manager, currently managing the Israel national under-21 football team.
Club career
Guy Luzon was a graduate of the Maccabi Petah Tikva youth program, jo ...
(July 1, 2008 – May 31, 2010)
*
Dror Kashtan
Dror Kashtan ( he, דרור קשטן, born 1 October 1944) is an Israeli former football player and manager. As a player, he represented the Israeli national team three times. As a manager, he took charge of numerous clubs as well as the Israel ...
(July 1, 2010 – June 4, 2011)
*
Yossi Abukasis
Yosef "Yossi" Abukasis ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" אָבּוּקָסִיס; born September 10, 1970) is an Israeli former football midfielder and current coach of Beitar Jerusalem.
Career
Abukasis played in the youth team of Hapoel Tel A ...
(June 14, 2011 – May 13, 2012)
*
Dror Kashtan
Dror Kashtan ( he, דרור קשטן, born 1 October 1944) is an Israeli former football player and manager. As a player, he represented the Israeli national team three times. As a manager, he took charge of numerous clubs as well as the Israel ...
(May 13, 2012 – Dec 9, 2013)
*
Yossi Abukasis
Yosef "Yossi" Abukasis ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" אָבּוּקָסִיס; born September 10, 1970) is an Israeli former football midfielder and current coach of Beitar Jerusalem.
Career
Abukasis played in the youth team of Hapoel Tel A ...
(Dec 9, 2013–16)
*
Yossi Mizrahi (2016)
*
Arik Benado
Ariel "Arik" Benado ( he, אריאל "אריק" בנאדו ; born 5 December 1973) is an Israeli football manager and former player who played as a centre-back.
Playing career
Benado was a second generation player at Maccabi Haifa; his fathe ...
(2016)
*
Nissan Yehezkel (2016–2017)
*
Yossi Abukasis
Yosef "Yossi" Abukasis ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" אָבּוּקָסִיס; born September 10, 1970) is an Israeli former football midfielder and current coach of Beitar Jerusalem.
Career
Abukasis played in the youth team of Hapoel Tel A ...
(2017–2020)
*
Elisha Levy (2020–present)
References
External links
Official website Fans forumBnei Yehuda MuseumEncyclopedia of Bnei Yehuda
Arayot Yehuda Fan ClubBnei Yehuda Fansite
{{Israeli clubs in international football
Association football clubs established in 1936
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
Football clubs in Tel Aviv
1936 establishments in Mandatory Palestine