Hapoel Ironi Tiberias Suffers First Loss, Blames Incomplete Squad

Hapoel Ironi Tiberias experienced their first league defeat of the new season, losing 2-0 to Hapoel Kiryat Shmona on Saturday. Despite creating scoring opportunities, the team failed to find the net, leaving them three points from escaping the bottom of the table. Club officials expressed disappointment with the result but attributed it to an incomplete squad and suboptimal pre-season preparation, stating that a full-strength team would have performed differently. The team was missing injured players Mansour Badji and Kais Ghanem. Ghanem is expected to return for the next match against Maccabi Petah Tikva, while Badji will be sidelined for two weeks. Daniel Golani was substituted due to a calf strain, which is not expected to keep him out long-term.

Adding to the team's challenges, four players are currently suspended by the Anti-Doping Agency. Guy Hadida, Niv Gottlieb, and David Keltjins have reached a settlement and will return to training on September 13. However, defender Sambinha, who is in Portugal and not represented by the same lawyer, has not yet reached an agreement. The club anticipates Sambinha will finalize a settlement this week and receive a three-month ban, similar to the other players. New signing Arthur Mirinian is awaiting the completion of his paperwork before arriving in Israel to join the team.

Substitute Eden Shamir commented on his personal readiness and the team's performance, noting that while he is not yet fit to start, he is contributing and hopes for improvement. He acknowledged that the team conceded preventable goals but emphasized that they competed throughout the match and created good chances, stating the game could have gone either way.