Israeli Football Coach Told to Drop Dia Saba from National Team

Israeli national football team coach Ran Ben Shimon has reportedly been instructed by the Football Association to exclude player Dia Saba from the squad, despite Saba's strong performance in the Turkish league this season. This information was revealed by sports commentators Eli Ohana and Moshe Primo on the "5 באוויר" (On Air) program. Ohana stated that he understands Saba has been told "the issue of Saba is not on the agenda," suggesting the directive came from within the Football Association. He speculated that the decision might be related to past controversies involving Saba's wife, and that Saba might face negative reactions from fans if he were to join the team. Primo corroborated that Saba will not be joining the national team, noting that while Ben Shimon publicly maintains "the door is open to every player," Saba himself expressed to Primo over a month ago that he couldn't handle the pressure and scrutiny from the public and his teammates given past experiences. Primo questioned why Ben Shimon would continue to say the door is open if the decision was final, suggesting a potential joint decision between the Football Association and the player.