Israel is starting to recover from the coronavirus outbreak and its return to normalcy is taking place gradually and cautiously. Hopefully, after the recent, difficult period of uncertainty, many Israeli fans will be encouraged by the return of soccer to the playing fields.
The Israeli Premier League, which was stopped March 13, will restart May 30 with the championship playoff games; the National League — the second division, which is below the Premier League — will also resume. On May 10, the players started training again, with the goal of holding two games a week; this way they will finish the league by the beginning of July. Under the current circumstances, however, the fans are not allowed to be part of the games and will be forced to view their teams on TV. The teams will face off with one another in front of empty stands and without the chanting and encouragement from their fans.
“Without a doubt this is a terrible blow for me — not to be able to cheer for my team from the stands,” said Idan Vaytzman, a faithful fan of the Premier League Hapoel Beer Sheva Football Club for the last 30 years. “I was very happy that they are playing again, but clearly it’s depressing that the games will have no spectators. Sure, I talk to friends and other fans and we all understand the decision under the circumstances. Still, it’s important to return to soccer, to get back into routine and normalcy; the situation in the state is starting to loosen up. We can’t keep soccer on the sidelines indefinitely.”
Vaytzman rarely misses Hapoel Beer Sheva games, both those played at home and away. However, he has no choice now but to accept the new rules. “Watching the Hapoel games on TV is not an easy thing to accept for a faithful Hapoel Beer Sheva fan like me. I have to think about it. Look, it’s not just about coming and then cheering for the team during the actual game. There is also the other stuff, like traveling to the games with friends, the other fans you meet or going out to eat together after the game. For us, the fans, soccer is a way of life.”
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
