Thirty-two teams, two winners and Maccabi owner-representative Jack Angelides between the uprights. Welcome to Maccabi's second fans' tournament at Kiryat Shalom
Just over three months after the teams "Maccabi Mutzmutz" and "Football Bematzliach" lifted the Cup at the first fans' tournament during the Hanukkah holiday week, Maccabi's second official fans' tournament kicked off today at the Kiryat Shalom training ground. In the early hours of the morning some 200 footballers aged 13 to 18 arrived at the complex to participate in what looks on its way to becoming a club tradition.
It was perfect morning for football and exactly at 10am the referee blew his whistle to kick off the games being played on all four of the tournament pitches. Sixteen teams in two age categories were divided into four groups of four teams each. After six games in every group and after each team had played each of their other rivals, the two top teams in each group advanced to the quarter finals. Not until close to 4pm had the tournament reached its final stages for each of the two age categories, at which time three members of the senior team – defender Santana Nivaldo, midfielder Guillermo Israilevich and striker Roberto Colautti – arrived at the training ground to watch the proceedings and present the winners with their trophies and gifts from club sponsors "Under Armour" and "Fujicom".
Ironically, the final in the younger team category was played between teams that bore the names of Maccabi's two largest fan organisations – "Ultras Maccabi" and "The 12th Player". The match was one-sided from the very start and at the end "Ultras Maccabi" lifted the silver-plated cup after an 8-0 victory. In the older team category the final was a far closer affair that ended in a 1-1 draw. Last tournament's older winners, "Maccabi Mutzmutz", missed both of their penalty shoot-out attempts so this tournament the winner's trophy went to "Yellow Tel Aviv". In addition to team honours, Maccabi sponsor "Under Armour" presented a pair of professional football boots to the tournament's leading goalscorer in each of the two age categories.
At the end of the tournament an exhibition game was played on one half of the practice pitch between a team composed of the Maccabi coaching and administrative staff and a team of journalists who cover the goings-on at the club. The former featured Maccabi head coach Nir Levin, who also scored the final goal of the match, goalkeeping coach Shura Uvarov and even owner-representative Jack Angelides. Referee was Maccabi captain Barak Itzhaki, who didn't hesitate to caution any of players on the pitch. After two fifteen-minute halves, the Maccabi team emerged 6-3 winners. Shura Uvarov was named man of the match and rewarded with a brand new "Fujicom" plasma television.
