In a long interview with Sport 5, former coach and player Nir Klinger apologizes for the obscene gesture he made toward Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, saying, “the hooligan in me came out.” The interview was published on June 19, 2026, at 15:33 and is the second part of a broader conversation about the biggest moments in his career.
Klinger revisits the rise of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s so-called “Galacticos” era, saying he was “naive” about how it would unfold. He also discusses his relationship with Avi Nimni, explaining that it “never became the same” after their fallout. The interview touches on the team’s championship season, the injury to Baruch Dego near the end of that campaign, and the pressure that built around bringing Nimni back from influential figures behind the scenes.
He goes on to describe the club’s dramatic Champions League campaign and the turbulent season that followed, including a tense meeting in Tsahala and the questions he was asked about why he stayed and how he convinced Eyal Berkovic. Klinger also recalls the opening training session in which fans lifted Nimni onto their shoulders, and the moment he was told he would not continue in the role. Later in his career, after stints in Cyprus and elsewhere in Israel, he helped Hapoel Haifa win a historic cup and then joined Beitar Jerusalem.
Looking back, Klinger says he eventually realized he was not feeling well and sought psychological treatment. He says he struggled to control his anger, and when asked what advice he would give his younger self, he answered that he should have retired and gone into high-tech. He also speaks about what changed the most in his life and the moment that made him feel, in his words, “terrible.”