The Grass is Greener: first steps of professionalism in Israeli football

ABSTRACT

During the first decade of the State of Israel (1950s), football was the most popular sport in the country. Yet at the time football in Israel was governed by political interests and was non-professional as well, such that players could not receive any material remuneration and were expected to be loyal to the club and the state. Nevertheless, a few players left their clubs and their country and travelled abroad to play as professionals. This act provoked a harsh response from the media and the Israel Football Association (IFA) and also from politicians from every Zionist organization in Israel. The present paper tells the story of these footballers and the sanctions imposed upon them by the authorities in order to put a stop to this practice, mainly because of its perceived threat to Israeli society as a whole.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Robinson and Clegg, The Club.

2. Already in 1930 foreign players began going to France to play as professionals. Lanfranchi, ‘The Migration of Footballers’.

3. Mason, ‘The Bogota Affair’.

4. Colombia’s football club at that time was not a member of FIFA.

5. Ben Porat, From Game to Commodity; and Gruneau, Class, Sports and Social.

6. Almog, 1997.

7. Alroey, Immigrants.

8. DellaPergola, 2001.

9. DellaPergola, 2001.

10. Lissak, The Mass Immigration.

11. Horovitz and Lissak, 1989

12. Sport in Israel at that time was organized through three national political organizations: Hapoel, which was affiliated with the labour camp, Maccabi, affiliated with the bourgeoisie camp, and Beitar, affiliated with the right-wing camp. Representatives of these organizations held positions on the Israel Olympic Committee, the Israel Football Association, and other national sports institutions.

13. Ben Porat, Football and Nationalism.

14. Ibid.

15. Carmi, Ha’askuna.

16. Bowman, ‘Hakoah Vienna and the International Nature’.

17. The World Jewish Olympicsheld in Palestine and then in Israelevery four years.

18. https:// sport.maariv.co.il/Israeli-soccer/Ligst-Haal/ Article 8087.

19. Maariv, June 5, 3

20. Crotee, ‘Apartheid and Sport’; and Bolsmann, ‘White Football in South’.

21. Milner, ‘Tracing the Jewish Footprint’.

22. Arazi, Y. From the Balcony. Haaretz, October, 20. 3

23. Charismatic Ben Gurion and a group of his followers left Mapai, the party in charge of nation-building, and established a new party called Rafi.

24. The Six-Day War, also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War, began with a pre-emptive Israeli air assault in Egypt and Syria on 5 June 1967 and continued till 10 June. An Israeli ground offensive was also launched in the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. These territories were all captured by Israel, though the Sinai Peninsula was later returned to Egypt. For details, see Gross, ‘The Israeli Economy at that Time’.

25. Ben Porat, From Game to Commodity.

26. Diamond, American Jewish Year Book.

27. Al Hamishmar, June, 14, 3.

28. Hatsophe daily newspaper, January 28, 1966, 1.

29. Maccabi Union was andstill is an international Jewish sportsorganization.

30. Maariv, February 13, 1961, 10. This was very good money for an Israeli footballer.

31. The SportsAuthority was established by the Ministry of Education and Sport for the purpose of strategic management of sports in Israel.

32. Davar, April 6, 1961, 16.

33. Al-Hamishmar, April 6, 1961.

34. Paz, I. Al Hamishmar, April 9, 1961, 4.

35. Galai, B. Maariv, April, 14, 7.

36. Ben-Avraham, N. Maariv, April 9, 1961, 11.

37. Davar, June 24, 1963, 4.

38. Letter from Dafni to Bluch (Chairman of the Power Company) October 27, 1963. State Archives, GL, 1532/3.

39. Davar, December 29, 1965, 6.

40. Maariv, January 21, 1966, 7.

41. Maariv, January 23, 1966, 4.

42. Hadshot Sport (Sports News) December 11, 1966, 2.

43. Sports Newspaper, December 11, 1966, 2.

44. Sports Newspaper, March 7, 1967, 1.

45. Ben Porat, From Game to Commodity.

46. Davar, 4 March 1969, 8.

47. Ben Porat, How Israel Became a Capitalist Society.