David Foxman to Officiate Tel Aviv Derby, Recalling Last Year's Upset

Veteran referee David Foxman has been appointed to officiate the upcoming Tel Aviv derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv, scheduled for next Monday at Bloomfield Stadium. This assignment is particularly significant for Hapoel, as Foxman also refereed last season's derby, where Hapoel secured a dramatic 2-1 victory, ending an 11-year winless streak against their city rivals. That historic win, Hapoel's first since April 2014 after 4,293 days, saw Omri Altman equalize in stoppage time before Chico completed the comeback.

The appointment of Foxman for this high-stakes match has generated discussion, given the emotional weight of the previous encounter he oversaw. The Israeli Premier League's third round will feature several other notable matches. On Sunday, Gal Levy will officiate Hapoel Petah Tikva against Hapoel Be'er Sheva at the Shlomo Biton Stadium. Naal Odeh will referee Hapoel Haifa versus Bnei Sakhnin at Sammy Ofer Stadium on Monday, while Shnir Levy will manage Hapoel Ramat Gan against Maccabi Netanya in Rehovot, and Aviv Klein will oversee Ironi Kiryat Shmona against Maccabi Haifa at the Merym Stadium in Netanya.

The round concludes on Tuesday with Orall Greenfeld assigned to Ironi Tiberias vs. Hapoel Jerusalem, and Gal Leibovitz officiating Beitar Jerusalem against Maccabi Petah Tikva at Bloomfield Stadium.