The Political Soccer Match of All Time

Ten hours before voting booths opened on Monday night, Ben Caspit went to the Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa.

No match-up in Israel is more political than this: Beitar Jerusalem playing HaPo’el Tel Aviv. It’s the “Hill People” vs. the “Beach People.” It’s the faceoff between Israel’s two capitals: the spiritual vs. the secular; the conservative and narrow-minded vs. the liberal and open-minded. They’re coming head to head in Jaffa Stadium on the eve of these elections. It’s the red banners of HaPo’el, identified with the Israeli left, facing off against the yellow and black of Beitar, which has become a symbol of the right and the Likud. This is the ultimate political sport in Israel. 

Such charged matches have taken place before, either on the eve of elections, or in the days immediately after them. The most notable match of all took place in May 1999, when HaPo’el Tel Aviv faced Beitar Jerusalem in the Cup Finals two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud were defeated by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Labor Party. The euphoria and sense of jubilation on the left rubbed off on the players in the field. HaPo’el won the game and the Cup.