Sami Adam Returns to Hapoel Tel Aviv After Complex International Transfer Saga

In a move that largely went unnoticed until the final hours of the transfer window, Hapoel Tel Aviv has welcomed back 21-year-old forward Sami Adam. Adam, who came up through the club's youth academy and was on loan at Maccabi Yavne last season, is now available for coach Eliniv Barda. His return, however, is the culmination of a complicated journey involving Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Israel.

Adam was initially slated to join Kryvbas, a Ukrainian club managed by Patrick van Leeuwen, in January. However, his transfer became entangled in bureaucratic hurdles. Born in Israel to a Sudanese refugee father, Adam holds a Sudanese passport. After arriving in Ukraine and signing with Kryvbas, he faced visa issues due to possessing a temporary passport. Kryvbas attempted to resolve the situation, even offering to extend his contract, but required him to obtain a permanent passport, either Sudanese or Israeli.

Due to lengthy bureaucratic processes for obtaining a permanent Israeli passport, Adam traveled to Ethiopia for three weeks to secure a Sudanese passport. Upon his return to Israel from Ethiopia, further complications arose regarding his entry into Ukraine. After a six-month waiting period, Kryvbas, having signed another player for Adam's position, ceased waiting for the situation to be resolved. Consequently, Adam has returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv, at least until January, where he can train and potentially play.

Sami Adam is a left winger who can also play as a forward. He was born in Israel and holds Israeli citizenship, with his family having Sudanese origins. He made his senior debut for Hapoel Tel Aviv in May 2024, appearing once. He was then loaned to Maccabi Yavne for the 2024 summer, where he gained significant playing time in the National League, scoring two goals in the 2025/26 season.