Israel in top three at Futbol World Cup in Cape Town

SAUL KAMIONSKY

This was particularly the case because spectators got to witness the Israeli team fighting for the title last weekend, coming in a tight third to Argentina and Bulgaria, in first and second place.

Ronen Cohen, the Chairperson of Maccabi Western Province and the Futsal convener, was thrilled to be able to watch the games. “About three weekends before the World Cup took place, it was moved and Cape Town had about three weeks to prepare for the event,” says Cohen. Fortunately, Cape Town already had its own Fives Futbol facilities at Century City.

Not only did the Israeli team come in the top three in the fifth Futbol championships, its members were also treated to the Cape Town Jewish community’s hospitality.

“We got a very big warm heart from the Jewish community here. They hosted us twice at their homes for a nice party and barbeque,” says Israel’s F5WC Country Partner, Dudi Mor, who was with the team in South Africa. “They came to cheer us in the games, and I am positive that at least 60% or 70% of the fact we won was due to them, because they carried Israel flags and sang Hatikvah, pushing the players to give more than 100%.”

Mor hopes there will be another futbol five-a-side tournament next year, but the Israeli F5WC players will never forget their stay in Cape Town, and the efforts Cohen made to welcome them.

The Israeli players left an indelible mark on the Cape Town Jewish futbol players. “Seeing them live was great entertainment, and to see that there was a Jewish factor involved, and not just, you know, the Manchester Uniteds of the world, was great. We could really identify with the team,” says Cohen.

Israel played six matches over 17 and 18 November 2018. They kick-started their tournament against Egypt with a 1-1 draw in this fast-paced, 20-minute, five-a-side format, and went on to beat Spain 4-0, before being humbled by Mexico in a 2-1 loss in the group stages.

Despite this loss, Israel garnered enough points to progress to next round, where they played Australia. They overcame the challenge posed by the men from Down Under, before beating host nation South Africa 2-1 in a nail-biting quarter final.

According to Mor, this was by no means an easy task. “With the crowd and the pressure of the organiser, we had to push, but we still beat the home team.”

Israel encountered the Bulgarians in the semi-finals, and after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time, the blue-and-white team lost 4-3 on penalties, and were knocked out of the tournament.

However, by virtue of losing on penalties in a sudden-death and therefore achieving a better result than the other semi-finalists, Israel placed third.

One of the players of the seven-man squad for Israel’s F5WC campaign is an observant Jew. “He was moved to a hotel close by the pitch so he could walk to the pitch. He can play on Saturday, but he can’t drive. We got permission from the rabbi,” says Mor.

This meant that all of Israel’s squad could compete in the biggest amateur football tournament in the world against more than 280 international players from 32 countries.

All the games were played using the Fives Futbol format, which is basically normal soccer, but is played on artificial grass, in an outdoor stadium that is of a smaller size than a normal soccer field, and is an action-packed and goal-intensive game.