Beitar Jerusalem Owner Under Fire After Humiliating Season Opener Loss

Beitar Jerusalem owner Barak Abramov faced harsh criticism following his team's 4-0 defeat to Maccabi Netanya in their season opener at Bloomfield Stadium. Despite the club's stated ambition to win the championship and record season ticket sales, Abramov was accused of minimal investment in the team during the summer transfer window, bringing in only free agents and failing to make significant professional upgrades. Critics pointed to the team's reliance on underperforming players like Sean Weissman and Noam Mucha, as well as the continued presence of mediocre foreign players and the absence of captain Yarden Shua.

Further fueling the discontent was Abramov's decision to replace professional manager Barak Itzhaki with Almog Cohen, a move reportedly made over a mere 5,000 euro difference. This decision, coupled with Cohen's transition to the sidelines as coach, has raised questions about the club's management strategy. "Abramov isn't investing anything, only players who come for free, no professional upgrade," stated sources within Beitar Jerusalem. "We can't always rely on improvisation. With our amazing fans, we deserve a better squad."

The team's performance was further hampered by 15 turnovers from players Boris Ino, Tomer Yosefi, and Noam Mucha, and a weak showing from Nabo Shadu at left-back. Beitar Jerusalem has now conceded 14 goals in their last five matches, including a hat-trick against Hapoel Ramat Gan in the Toto Cup and the recent four-goal loss to Netanya. Coach Almog Cohen acknowledged the team's poor performance, stating, "We didn't show up for the game from the first second, it was very bad and we had turnovers in places where we shouldn't lose the ball." He added, "I always influence my teams, but until today I haven't managed to lift the weights off the players."

Cohen expressed his commitment to improving the team, despite the difficult start. "We know the importance of the game against Hapoel Tel Aviv," he said, referring to their upcoming match on Thursday. "Don't count us out so quickly. We will emerge from this better and stronger. It hurts me a lot for us and for our fans, but we will get out of the depression and improve on Thursday against Hapoel Tel Aviv."