Eran Zahavi Denies Yossi Benayoun's Claims Over Israel National Team Dispute

More than three years after the "room controversy" that led to his absence from the Israel national football team, Eran Zahavi has reignited the debate, claiming the real reason he was unwanted was different. In an interview with Omri Asenheim airing Thursday on Channel 13, the former Israeli national team star rejected the narrative that his demand for a private room caused his exclusion. Zahavi said, "Enough with all the lies and media spins. If he was a man and told the truth, saying 'I don't want you, I want to change the generation', fine, move on, leave me alone. But to say it was about a room? He didn't want me."

Zahavi accused then sporting director Yossi Benayoun of using the room issue as a pretext, suggesting Benayoun wanted to create chaos and thought he could succeed without Zahavi. He expressed personal offense but said he knew Benayoun well and this was not their first conflict. The original dispute arose when Zahavi insisted on having a private room during team gatherings, while Benayoun sought a uniform room-sharing policy. This disagreement led to Zahavi being left out of the squad, although he later returned during the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Addressing claims that a private room for Zahavi might cause resentment among teammates, he dismissed such concerns as coming from "small-minded players" who are not professionals like him and cannot understand his routine. Zahavi even proposed a simple solution: all players should have private rooms, and he was willing to pay for it himself. He concluded with a sharp critique of the Israel Football Association, stating, "If the association can't afford to give 30 players private rooms, they should shut down football. It's not worth anything."