Pini Balili ( he, פִּינִי בַּלִילִי; born 18 June 1979) is an Israeli former
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
manager and former player. He was born in Jerusalem and is Jewish, of Turkish descent.
Career
Move back to Hapoel
As a youngster, Balili grew up supporting
Hapoel Tel Aviv and was part of the youth system there before moving to
Shimshon Tel Aviv
Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C. (, ''Moadon Kaduregel Shimshon Tel Aviv'') is an Israeli football club based in Tel Aviv.
In 2000 it merged with Beitar Tel Aviv to create Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv. in his teens. It wasn't long before he caught the eye of Hapoel scouts who saw Balili as a missed opportunity so the club purchased his contract after just one professional season. His breakout did not come until the
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 ...
era at
Hapoel Tel Aviv. Instrumental in the club's success in the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
, Balili found himself featuring for the national team as well. After the 2002–03 season, Hapoel decided to cut wages and Pini left for Turkish club
Istanbulspor.
Time in Turkey
Balili's Turkish league debut was sensational; on 10 August 2003, he scored a beautiful chip as his team surprised city rivals Fenerbache 3–0. troubles at
Istanbulspor led to Balili being let go after just one season. Though he immediately signed with newly promoted
Kayserispor
Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the Kadir Has Stadium in red and yellow kits.
The team has won one Turkish Cup in 2008 and also fini ...
. In 2006,
Sivasspor
Sivasspor Kulübü, known as Demir Grup Sivasspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas. The primary department of the club is men's football. Formed in 1967, its football department competes in Süper Lig, as of 201 ...
applied for Turkish citizenship for Balili stating that he is a model citizen in Turkey and has full grasp of the Turkish language.
A somewhat religious man, rumors were started that a league match between
Sivasspor
Sivasspor Kulübü, known as Demir Grup Sivasspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas. The primary department of the club is men's football. Formed in 1967, its football department competes in Süper Lig, as of 201 ...
and
Ankaraspor
Ankaraspor Kulübü (), formerly known as Osmanlıspor (), is a Turkish professional football club based in the country's capital Ankara. Founded in 1978, the club competes in the TFF Second League.
History
Ankaraspor was founded as "Ankara Bele ...
, was postponed during the 2006–07 on account of it coinciding with
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...
. The
Turkish Football Federation
The Turkish Football Federation (; TFF) is the governing body of association football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkey national football team, the Süper Lig, Turk ...
denied these claims. The story garnered some press coverage, namely because Israeli goalkeeper,
Dudu Aouate
David "Dudu" Aouate (or Awat, he, דוד "דודו" אוואט, ''pronounced Dūdū Ahwaht''; born 17 October 1977) is an Israeli retired professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper ...
claimed that he was willing to play on the Jewish day of atonement.
On 12 August 2007, Balili was viciously tackled by
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
's Egyptian defensive midfielder,
Ayman Abdelaziz. Allegedly, Ayman swore at Balili in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
before the tackle and it caused the Sivasspor players to fight with the Trabzonspor players. A spectator then jumped onto the pitch and threw punches. Sivasspor players responded which led to a big fight on the field. Trabzonspor got punished for this incident.
Return to Israel
On 16 June 2010, Balili signed a two-year contract with
Bnei Yehuda reuniting with his former coach
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 ...
.
On 17 October 2012, he moved to play for
Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam in
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 ...
, there he played for two seasons until he retired from playing at the end of the 2013–14 season.
Managerial career
On 10 December 2012, Balili took over as the caretaker manager of Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam while still playing for them.
The next season Balili worked as the assistant manager of Bat Yam until the club folded at the end of the 2013–14 season.
In the 2014–15 season, Balili worked as the manager of
Maccabi Holon in the
Ligat Nashim
Ligat Nashim ( he, ליגת נשים, lit. ''Women's League'') is the Israeli women's football league. It has been run by the Israel Football Association since 1998.
Format
The league is divided into two divisions, with the top division, tit ...
.
On 30 July 2015, Balili was appointed as the general manager of
F.C. Shikun HaMizrah.
Honours
*
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...
: 1999–00
*
Israel State Cup
The Israel State Cup ( he, גביע המדינה, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA).
The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involve ...
(2): 1999, 2000
*
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.
Fro ...
(1): 2001–02
*
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
runner-up: 2008–09
See also
*
List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balili, Pini
Living people
1979 births
Israeli Jews
Israeli footballers
Israel international footballers
Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C. players
Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. players
İstanbulspor footballers
Kayserispor footballers
Sivasspor footballers
Antalyaspor footballers
Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. players
Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam F.C. players
Liga Leumit players
Israeli Premier League players
Süper Lig players
Israeli people of Turkish-Jewish descent
Expatriate footballers in Turkey
Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Footballers from Jerusalem
Association football forwards