Maccabi Rehovot F.C. ( he, מכבי רחובות) is an Israeli football club based in

Rehovot Rehovot ( he, רְחוֹבוֹת ''Rəḥōvōt'', ar, رحوڤوت ''Reḥūfūt'') is a city in the Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu movement, ...

. The club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949 and competed in the top division during the 1950s, but today plays in

Liga Gimel Liga Gimel ( he, ליגה ג', lit. ''League C'') is the fifth and bottom division of Israeli Football League, a position it has held since 2009. From Liga Alef and downwards to this, each league is separated by region as well. History Liga Gimel ...

, the fifth and lowest level of Israeli football.

History

Founded in 1912,The buds of division – The controversy about Hebrew labor within Maccabi
Dr. Haim Kaufman, lib.cet.ac.il Maccabi Rehovot is one of the oldest clubs in Israeli football. Prior to the

Israeli Declaration of Independence The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel ( he, הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 ( 5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive ...

, the club played at the

Palestine League The Palestine League, also known as The Eretz Israel League, was an association football league during the British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel), which was contested from 1928 to 1948. It was organised by the Eretz Israel Football Associatio ...

and were runners-up in the 1943–44 season, behind champions, Hapoel Tel Aviv. Maccabi Rehovot took part in the first post-independence league in 1949–50, finishing 8th out of 13. After several mid-table finishes, the club was relegated to

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 ...

at the end of the 1955–56 season after finishing second from bottom. The following season the club finished second in

, which would have resulted in automatic promotion to the top division. However, after it was discovered that 9 out of the 12 clubs of Liga Alef were involved in

match-fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

, the

Israel Football Association The Israel Football Association (IFA; he, ההתאחדות לכדורגל בישראל, ''HaHit'aḥdut leKaduregel beIsrael'', literally "The Association of Football in Israel") is the governing body of football in Israel. It organizes a variet ...

decided to hold a promotion/relegation play-offs.Football commission of inquiry: "Five more play-off matches will be held"
Heruth, 9.7.1957, Historical Jewish Press Maccabi finished bottom of

the group The Group may refer to: Film and television * ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 * ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television * ''The Group ...

and remained in the second tier. In the 1959–60 season, the club was relegated to

Liga Bet Liga Bet ( he, ליגה ב', lit. ''League B'') is the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into four regional divisions. History League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of ...

, the third tier at the time. Ever since, the club plays in the lower divisions of Israeli football. In the 1990s they dropped into Liga Gimel, where they play today.

References

External links

Maccabi Rehovot
Israel Football Association {{Liga Gimel

Association football clubs established in 1912 1912 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Sport in Rehovot