Israel National Football Team Coach Told to Drop Dia Saba

Despite his strong performance this season with Turkish club Etimesgut Belediyespor, Dia Saba will not be part of the upcoming Israeli national football team squad. Coach Ran Ben Shimon stated that Saba "professionally has a place in the national team. The door is open to every player." However, sports commentators Eli Ohana and Moshe Primo discussed the situation on Wednesday, suggesting political interference is keeping Saba out.

Ohana claimed that Ben Shimon was instructed to "drop the matter" regarding Saba, citing potential issues related to Saba's wife and the possibility of Saba facing boos from the crowd. "I know one thing, if I understand correctly, he received a kind of stop and they told him, 'Saba's issue is not on the table.' I don't know why," Ohana said.

Primo corroborated that Saba will not join the national team, despite Ben Shimon's public statements. Primo recalled a conversation with Saba where the player expressed difficulty returning due to past personal struggles and the potential negative reception. "He told me 'I went through something, the whole world was against me, to come to the national team, to look at the friends and the crowd...' He couldn't do that, it also came from him," Primo stated. Primo questioned why Ben Shimon maintained the "door is open" narrative if the decision was final, suggesting the exclusion might stem from both the Football Association and Saba himself.