Israel’s teams and athletes abroad spread strength for country

The Israeli sports scene is somewhat getting back into gear as the war against Hamas is still creating challenges for clubs teams in various sports.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club has found a temporary location in Belgrade for their home games until the war ends. The first “home” game, so to speak, will be held on November 9 against Bayern Munich while the November 2 game against Real Madrid will be postponed to a later date.

The yellow-and-blue has two road games coming up, at Monaco this Thursday evening and against Milan next Tuesday in Italy.

Hapoel Tel Aviv is still searching for a home court, however, it has been doing just fine on the road, most recently with a 111-72 win at Hamburg. Following the game, coach Danny Franco spoke about the club’s situation.

“I would like to send my appreciation to the Hamburg Towers organization for hosting us during these uncomfortable days for the entire team. It’s not taken for granted. We have a lot of casualties from our fan base and this club was built by the fans, who are a major part of the organization. It’s not about winning and not about losing, it’s about the spirit as they expect us to be their ambassadors during these days.”

Israeli players worry for their country

In UEFA Champions League action, Red Star Belgrade’s Israeli coach Barak Bachar gave a passionate talk during his club’s pre-match press conference as it prepared to play Red Bull Leipzig on the road.

“We are sitting here in Germany and German clubs, like Mainz, Bayern and Dortmund have spoken up and chose to stand up and be with the right side. However, there are people in a dark sea of silence. My country is bleeding. My family, wife and three kids are sheltering every day and every night. Just an hour ago there were bombs [missiles] near the house. A lot of people are broken, body and soul. But I want the world to know one important thing, that no one no one will break the Israeli spirit. Am Yisrael Chai.”

Israeli starlet Oscar Gloukh who plays for Red Bull Salzburg scored in a 2-1 loss at Inter Milan. Gloukh wore jersey number 30 in recognition of the 30 children that are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. After the game, he mentioned how special it was for him and the entire country that he scored.

Also, Eran Zahavi will join the Israel National Team for their four Euro 2024 qualifiers in November after burying the hatchet and making peace with sports director Yossi Benayoun.