Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C.

Hapoel Tel Aviv

Full name	Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club
Nickname(s)	Hapoel The Reds The Red Devils
Short name	HTA
Founded	1923; 101 years ago (1923)
Ground	Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel
Capacity	29,400
Owner	Edmond M. Safra
Manager	Messay Dego
League	Liga Leumit
2023–24	Israeli Premier League, 8th of 14
Website	https://www.htafc.co.il
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל הפועל תל אביב, Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Tel Aviv) is an Israeli professional football club based in Tel Aviv that competes in the 2nd division Liga Leumit. The club's traditional home ground is Bloomfield Stadium. To date, the club has won 13 championships and 16 State Cups. In 1967, Hapoel Tel Aviv became the first club to win the Asian Champion Club Tournament.

Since 1995, the club has competed in European club competitions, and has the highest rank among all Israeli clubs, with some outstanding achievements, such as wins against Chelsea, Milan, Hamburg, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Rangers, and Celtic. It is also one of only three Israeli teams to have qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage, and one of the two that are ordinary members of the European Club Association.

The club name, "Hapoel", translates to "The Worker", and combined with its red Hammer and sickle badge represents the club ties to Marxism, socialism, Labor Zionism, and the working class. For seven decades, the club was owned by the Histadrut, Israel's national trade union centre.

Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. was originally established in 1923, but was disbanded soon after. The club was re-formed in 1925, and then for a third time in May 1926.^[1] In 1927 the club merged with Allenby F.C., giving the club its modern form. It is part of the Hapoel sports association which was affiliated with the Histadrut, and supporters of the club were often referred to as communists.^[2]

In 1928 the club reached the Palestine Cup final (the first one to be recognised by the Israel Football Association). Although they beat Maccabi Hasmonean Jerusalem 2–0, Hapoel fielded an ineligible player, resulting in the cup being shared.^[3]

The 1933–34 saw the club win the double,^[4] finishing as champions of the Palestine League, winning every match, the only Palestinian club to have achieved such a feat,^[1] and winners of the cup, beating local rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–2 in the final. The 1934–35 season saw Hapoel led the league table, but the championship was abandoned and they were not declared champions.^[4] The 1937–38 season ended the same way, with Hapoel top of the league, but the season abandoned. Meanwhile, the club won the cup again in 1937, 1938, and 1939, and remain the only club to have won the trophy in three successive seasons (although the Royal Air Force won it four consecutive seasons (1924 to 1927), pre-1928 wins are unrecognised by the IFA).

In 1939–40, they won their second championship. The following season no national championships were held, but the club won the tournament for Hapoel-affiliated clubs. They won a third championship in the 1943–44 season, and in the following year won the northern region league,^[4] as well as what became known as the "War Cup", which was boycotted by Beitar-affiliated clubs. In the cup final Hapoel were leading Hapoel Petah Tikva 1–0, but the match was abandoned on 89 minutes when a Petah Tikva player refused to leave the pitch after being sent off for insulting the referee.^[3]

Following Israeli independence, Hapoel joined the new Israeli League. They won the title in 1956–57 and the State Cup in 1961, beating Hapoel Petah Tikva 2–1.

In the 1965–66 season Hapoel won the title, and qualified for the first Asian Club Championships. In the tournament Hapoel were given byes all the way to the final, where they beat Selangor 2–1 to become Asia's first club champions. The club also reached the State Cup final that year, but lost 2–1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Hapoel won the title again in 1968–69, and again qualified for the Asian Club championships. Although they reached the final, they lost 2–1 to Iranian side Taj Tehran^[5] (in an era when Iran and Israel had diplomatic relations). They won the State Cup again in 1972, beating Hapoel Jerusalem 1–0 in the final, but did not win the title again until 1980–81, when they missed out on the double after losing the cup final 4–3 on penalties (after a 2–2 draw) to Bnei Yehuda. The following season they reached the cup final again, but lost 1–0 to Hapoel Yehud. A hat-trick of cup final defeats was avoided when they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–2 in the 1982 final.

Another title was won in 1985–86, and another in 1987–88. However, the following season Hapoel finished bottom of the league (with a four-point deduction for breaking budget rules) and were relegated to the second tier for the first time in their history.

The club made an immediate return to the top division as Liga Artzit runners-up, though they only beat Maccabi Yavne to the second promotion slot on goal difference.^[6] In 1997–98 Hapoel finished second, and qualified for Europe for the second time. In the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Hapoel knocked out FinnPa, before losing on penalties to Strømsgodset. In the same season they won the State Cup, beating Beitar Jerusalem 3–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

The 1999–2000 season saw Hapoel win the double, claiming their first title in over a decade and winning the State Cup (beating Beitar Jerusalem on penalties again). However, they failed to reach the group stages of the Champions League after being beaten 5–1 on aggregate by Sturm Graz. They finished second in the league in 2000–01 and 2001–02 and third in 2002–03, qualifying for the UEFA Cup on each occasion. In the 2001–02 UEFA Cup Hapoel reached the quarter-finals after knocking out Chelsea, Lokomotiv Moscow and Parma. Although they beat A.C. Milan 1–0 in the home leg (a match which had to be played in the GSP Stadium in Cyprus as UEFA did not allow matches to be held in Israel due to security reasons), Hapoel lost the away leg 2–0.

In 2002 the club won its first Toto Cup. They won the State Cup in 2006, beating Bnei Yehuda 1–0 in the final, and also won it the following season, when they defeated second division Hapoel Ashkelon on penalties. They reached the final again in 2007–08, but lost 5–4 on penalties to Beitar Jerusalem after a 0–0 draw.

In 2009–10, the club won the double, claiming the State Cup after a 3–1 victory over Bnei Yehuda. The title was won after a dramatic game against Beitar Jerusalem on the final day of the season, with Eran Zahavi scoring the title-winning goal two minutes into injury time. The club also had a successful season in the Europa League, winning their group, before losing to Rubin Kazan in the second round. The following season they reached the group stages of the Champions League for the first time, but failed to advance to the next round. at the same season the team reached to the second place and won the Israeli State Cup for the second time in row.

In the beginning of season 2011–12 most of the successful players of the team left and spread at Europe, also the Team's manager Eli Guttman left too. The club's legendary coach, Dror Kashtan, returned and new players came as part of the transfer of ownership of the club to Eli Tabib. During the season there was tension between the manager Dror Kashtan and Eli Tabib, which led to the manager's departure and current Manager was appointed in his place, Nitzan Shirazi, who led the team winning the Israeli State Cup for the third time in a row. After large-scale protests of the fans against the club's owner Tabib and his unprofessional conduct, he decided to leave the club after one year and sold it to Haim Ramon and to the supporters' trust called "Haadumim", "The Reds" in Hebrew, that establish at the summer of 2012 and raise 2 million shekel for 20% of the ownership. The other part of the club sold to several other businessmen. Altogether the club sold at summer 2012 for 12 million NIS (about $ 3 Million). At the beginning of season 2012–13, Yossi Abuksis was appointed coach in place of Nitzan Shirazi, who appointed professional manager due to his health reasons. On 1 July 2015, the club was bought by Amir Gross Kabiri. Due to financial problems Kabiri and the club split. 2023 the Mintzberg group is announced as new owner.^[7][8]

After playing at three different stadiums, the club moved to the Basa Stadium in 1950, after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In 1962 the ground was renovated using donation from the Bloomfield family, thus receiving its official name. The ground was owned by Tel Aviv histadrut branch, who were also owners of Hapoel, although today it is a municipal stadium.

The stadium, located in Jaffa, is an upgraded version of the older stadium called "Basa". The first match at Bloomfield was played on 12 December 1962 against FC Twente, the game ending in a 1–1 draw. The stadium is currently shared with city rivals Maccabi (who moved to the ground in 1963) and Bnei Yehuda (since 2004).

Hapoel main fans' gate is gate 5, where Ultras Hapoel lead the cheering, and away crowds sit oppositely, on Gate 11. Another traditional Hapoel fans' gate is gate 7.

The club is the standard-bearer of the Israeli left and far-left. It was the last club to cut formal links with politics, in this case the trade union movement and the moderate Social Democratic Labor Party Mapai, as well more radical parties such as the Marxist Party Mapam, its predecessor Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party, and the Marxist-Leninist Israeli Communist Party (Maki).^{[9][10][11][12]}

Ultras Hapoel often wave flags emblazoned with the faces of Che Guevara and Karl Marx, as well as banners with the slogan "Workers of the world, unite!".^[13] The club ultras has friendships with many other antifa supporter groups, including strong bonds with fans of FC St. Pauli, Standard Liège, Omonia Nicosia, and Celtic F.C.^{[9][10][11][12]} In May 2023 Ultras' members founded the band "Lea Katmin" which sang songs from the stands of the fans.^[14]

A Haaretz poll published in June 2011 identified Hapoel Tel Aviv as the second most popular football team among Israeli Arabs, behind Maccabi Haifa.^[15]

Another survey had been conducted in March 2012 by Yedioth showed that Hapoel is the fourth most popular team among Israeli football fans (nineteen percent). The same survey revealed that thirty-two percent of Tel Aviv residents support the team.^[16]

Hapoel's most famous supporter was Arik Einstein who referenced the club in several of his songs, and following the club's double win in 2000, sang their championship song "My Red Team".

Hapoel's main rivals are Maccabi Tel Aviv, whose game against them is the Tel Aviv derby.

Another rivalry with Beitar Jerusalem which is a political rivalry, which is considered (and considers itself) the team of the Israeli far-right.^{[9][10][11][12]}

As of 18 July 2024

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ISR Robi Levkovich 2 DF  ISR Roy Levi 3 DF  ISR Ziv Morgan 4 MF  ISR Goni Naor 5 DF  ISR Or Israelov (captain) 6 MF  ISR El Yam Kancepolsky 7 FW  ISR Roy Korine 8 MF  ISR Ran Binyamin 9 FW  SRB Milan Makarić 10 MF  BRA Dudu 11 MF  ISR Stav Turiel 14 FW  ISR Ben Sahar 15 MF  ISR Roei Alkukin 17 MF  ISR Ari Cohen 18 DF  ISR Tal Archel

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 DF  COL David Cuperman 25 DF  ISR Ofer Gelbard 26 MF  ISR Liran Rotman 28 DF  ISR Ido Vaier 34 DF  SRB Goran Antonić 35 MF  ISR Amit Lemkin 45 FW  ISR Sagi Genis 55 GK  ISR Ido Sharon 70 DF  ISR Roy Herman 71 FW  ISR Ahmed Abed 72 DF  ISR Yazan Nassar 77 FW  ISR Ya'akov Berihon 95 GK  ISR Dor Binyamini — MF  ISR Guy Michaeli

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ISR Lior Gliklich (at Hapoel Petah Tikva until 30 June 2025)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ISR Sammy Adam (at Maccabi Jaffa until 30 June 2025)

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ISR David Alon — DF  ISR Amir Ella — DF  ISR Ilay Krispi — DF  ISR Tom Ahi Mordechai

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ISR Sabastian Hernandez — MF  FRA Noam Bonnet — FW  ISR Ido Elmshily

Only up to six non-Israeli nationals can be in an Israeli club, but only five can play at the same time on the pitch. Those with Jewish ancestry, married to an Israeli, or have played in Israel for an extended period of time, can claim a passport or permanent residency which would allow them to play with Israeli status.

• Maks Čelić
• Milan Makarić

• UEFA Champions League
  • Group stage: 2010–11
• UEFA Europa League^[18]
  • Quarter-finals: 2001–02
  • Round of 32: 2006–07, 2009–10
  • Group stage: 2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13

• Asian Champion Club Tournament
  • Winners (1): 1967

Years	Captain
1951	Shimon Zimerman (MF)
1967	Haim Nurieli (MF)
1971	Shimon Ben Yehonathan (DF)
1972–1979	Yehoshua Feigenbaum (FW)
1983–1987	Moshe Sinai (MF)
1990	Yaakov Ekhoiz (DF)
1993–1994	Haim Revivo (MF)
1994–1995	Ya'akov Schwartz (MF)
1995–1997	Guy Sharabi (DF)
1997–1999	Felix Halfon (DF)
1999–2006	Shimon Gershon (DF)
2006–2007	Yossi Abuksis (MF)
2007–2013	Walid Badir (DF)
2013–2015	Shay Abutbul (MF)
2015–2016	Mihai Pintilii (MF)
2016	Ariel Harush (GK)
2016	Nemanja Nikolić (MF)
2016–2018	Avihai Yadin (MF)
2018–2020	Orel Dgani (DF)
2020–2021	Omri Altman (MF)
2021-	Dan Einbinder (MF)

Rank	Name	Period	Games	Goals
1	Ya'akov Ekhoiz	1974–92	454	12
2	Aryeh Bajareno	1968–85	430	0
3	Yehoshua Feigenbaum	1964–79	368	142
4	Yigal Antebi	1999–09 2012-14	351	9
5	Shavit Elimelech	1996–07	344	0
6	Yaakov Rahaminovich	1966–80	332	30
7	Yehezkel Chazom	1964–77	324	97

Rank	Name	Period	Games	Goals
1	Yehoshua Feigenbaum	1964–79	368	142
2	Yehezkel Chazom	1964–77	324	97
3	Moshe Sinai	1980–89 1990-93	290	87
4	Rehavia Rozenbaum	1951–65		78
5	Omer Damari	2011–14 2018-2020	115	59
6	Shabtay Levi	1977–88	247	58
7	Gidon Tish	1955-66 1968-69		55

• Official website (in Hebrew)
• "Ultras Hapoel" – official website
• Shedim – Hapoel Tel Aviv Forum (in Hebrew)
• Fans Wikipedia (in Hebrew)

Achievements
Preceded by Inaugural Champions	Champions of Asia 1967	Succeeded by Maccabi Tel Aviv