Barak Becher: "We play football only thanks to the heroes who fought, fell and sacrificed their lives for us"

At the press conference for the opening of the new 2024/25 playing season held on Tuesday 16/07/24 at the "Sami Ofer" stadium in Haifa, the CEO of the Maccabi Haifa Football Club Itzik Ovadia, the professional manager of the club Gal Alberman, and the coach of the new-old team took part and participated Barak Bacher 

 At the press conference, Bacher, Ovadia, and Elberman spoke and told about everything that is happening in the club for the start of the new season, which will begin very soon, they talked about the construction of the new squad in which there may be minor changes until the start of the season, about the future in the team of the player Dia Saba, who is a Maccabi Haifa player like Every player in the team apologized if nonsense was done and he apologized, for the young players of the club, for the goals of the club, the foreign players and much more, while the main points of the news "The News Corporation Lives Here" brings you here.  

At the beginning, the team's coach Barak Bacher said with great excitement: "I am happy to be here again and speak Hebrew and not break my teeth, even though I have improved a little. First, before we talk about football, I want to start by talking about the difficult time we are going through as the State of Israel. The very fact that we are sitting here and running a kind of routine and playing football, is only thanks to those heroes who fight and sacrifice their lives for us and this is not at all obvious. It is important to me and the club to commemorate all those who have fallen, so I will use the stage to start a project aimed at commemorating our fallen fans. In every press conference and interview I will immortalize one fan with a picture and a few words about him.

I'm happy to be here, feel like I never left. I was at home for half a year and I'm coming back with a very big hunger to take the club another step forward. We talked and will talk about the difficult period, but these are no excuses because all the teams are in the same situation. It is important to me that everyone understands that patience and long-suffering are needed. The club has gone through a big change in the last decade and we have turned from a good football team into a big club, a huge club, of which the team is the face, but everything around us is becoming something powerful. Connecting the club to the fans and the community is something that is unprecedented and I am proud to be a part of this."

Regarding the Dia Saba player, Bachar said: "Maccabi Haifa advocates and believes in coexistence, the club, the audience and also the players know and can accommodate complexities. They should serve as an example and role model for the entire Israeli society on how to manage a sports culture. Maybe mistakes were made, he apologized and is part of Maccabi Haifa. Professionally, it's simple, he has a contract and is good enough to be on the roster."

The CEO of the Green Club, Itzik Ovadia, said: "We are excited for the upcoming season, but at the same time we need to win and take things in proportion. We went through and are still going through a challenging period at the national level, there are many victims, wounded, evacuees and abductees still in Gaza. We as a club are also affected by the situation, and are pained by the severe loss of 94 fans who paid a heavy price. This number is unfathomable.

I actually want to share a difficult experience with you. When we traveled with the team in the previous season in the Europa League to the Conference League game, supposedly at home in Budapest, one of the fans suggested to me with an excited appeal to think about the possibility of inviting the parents of the kidnapped Ofir French. It sounded a bit strange to me, at the time, but I tried anyway, I picked up the phone to Rashel, Ofir's mother, introduced myself and offered her to join. Rashel and Hanan joined and were part of the delegation, from Maccabi Haifa. However, during the final training session, I received a call from Israel's ambassador to Hungary, Yaakov Hadas, who asked if I was alone, and there he told me that Ofir was no longer alive and that the family should be informed. I have been in management and football for many years, but no one has qualified me to inform a family that expects their son kidnapped in Gaza to return, that he is no longer alive. They asked us not to bring it up at the moment, but fate caused me to go up in the elevator at the hotel, when his uncle the speaker, together with me, and a French Hanan goes up with us, and we both know that our son is not among the living, and he does not know. For me, this story symbolizes the shared fate of Maccabi Haifa with the tremendous price that our country pays, and during this whole period we are busy with football, but we feel the great loss. During the year our club mobilized in a total way for the benefit of the community and this is the place to thank each of our dedicated employees, including the players and staff who take part in a very meaningful activity. I think we are felt and that we are a point of light for many people in this difficult struggle. For many people, Maccabi Haifa is much more than 90 minutes of a football team, it is a support for many, and that is how we see our role. The fans also raised funds for Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kfar Gaza. I can guarantee that we will do things and coats together with the community of Nahal Oz and Kfar Gaza, which will make things better for them. It will be something from the heart."

"Dia made sure to condemn more than once and apologize more than once, so with all the sensitivity you have to know how to put this thing behind you. I received many inquiries from our fans, who support the return of Dia and also those who do not want his return. In the end, when you look at the whites of the eyes, you have to understand that things have gotten out of proportion. Our place and the club and our responsibility is to represent and be responsible, and put this story behind us. We believe in Dia and if we didn't believe him he wouldn't be here." "We want to improve the viewing experience, the accessibility of information and increase the connection to the club. We have launched a new website that takes the first steps, with everything that happens with us. A site with tickets and subscriptions, which we are now feeling the difficulty because at every beginning there is difficulty, but I am sure that at the end of the process the implementation of the new systems for the benefit of the fans will be good and significant. All with models at the highest European level, a new ticketing system that caters to major leagues in Europe. Every fan who had a subscription last season will have a real opportunity to renew it this season, even if it takes some time."

The war affected and affects the operative and sporting aspect as well, and this means that we will not be able to host in Israel. The team plays two away games. We will host in Hungary and then the return game in Azerbaijan. Last year we played last year we were abroad for over 50 days, it is difficult over time, but we did it successfully last season and we will do it successfully this season as well. The previous season was characterized by many discussions not related to football. Courts, violence, reduction of points, let's hope that the season will be less of this experience. We want attractive football, we want to excite the crowd and that no team drops a point, we want full stands, at the end the pitches should be pleasant and safe, both for families and devout fans. Football is for everyone." "On the issue of the youth department, I want to convey a message at the level of Yankel'a, Uzi and Or. The youth department is a very important part of the club. The investment there, both on the financial side and on the human side, is very significant. The department symbolizes equal opportunity, this is actually its essence. We have Jews there alongside Arabs, who play side by side under the logo of Maccabi Haifa, without any difference because that's how they were brought up. We have no other place to start from, there is no better world than the world of football, to run to each other after a goal, regardless of who you are and what you are, and this is being done excellently in our youth."