Vladimir Ivic, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach addressed the assembled media ahead of his squad’s first Championship Playoff match against Hapoel Hadera:
“We know Hapoel Hadera and they came from the second division, they have impressed all of us and they have played very well this season. The club deserves respect for everything they have done on this championship. We will fight our hardest to take the 3 points. It’s not an easy match and we will be focused to face a tough opponent.”
About Hadera Coach Niso Avitan:
“He is one of the best coaches in Israel like coach of Bnei Yehuda, Netanya and others. He has done good things here and he deserves the credit. One day you can be at the top and the next at the bottom. You have to work hard each and every day.”
The impact of VAR:
“Football needs VAR. It may cause breaks in the action but football needs this. As the years go by decisions will b quicker. I am for the VAR as it will be good for our championship. Referees sometimes make mistakes and sometimes they have to make a decision and they make a wrong one. But with the VAR they can fix that. VAR is needed everywhere not just in Israel as referees make mistakes all over the world. Sometimes the mistakes are very big and VAR can correct those.”
Status of Nikolic:
“He is doing well and he will train with us tomorrow. We will have to see about playing in the near future.”
