Maccabi Tel Aviv Parts Ways With Team Manager Yoav Ziv

Yoav Ziv has concluded his nine-year tenure as the senior team manager for Maccabi Tel Aviv, the club announced. Ziv, 45, who took on the role in the summer of 2017, may remain with the club in a different capacity. Raz Ben Shemesh, a former Air Force officer and reserve brigadier general, is expected to succeed Ziv as manager.

Ziv's departure follows a turbulent start to the season, during which he served an early-season suspension. This penalty stemmed from an altercation at the end of the State Cup final against Hapoel Be'er Sheva last May.

Ziv is a well-regarded figure in Israeli football. As a player, he represented Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2010 to 2016, earned 32 caps for the Israeli national team, and played for clubs including Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem, and K.A.A. Gent in Belgium.

In response to the news of Ziv's impending dismissal, a wave of support emerged from the team's players. The vast majority of the squad posted coordinated messages of solidarity on their Instagram stories, expressing warm regards to the outgoing manager. Notable players showing support included Itay Ben Hamo, Dan Glazer, Yonatan Nikolashvilli, James Tavernier, and many others. Only a few players, including Kristian Blicic, Raz Shlomo, Dor Peretz, and Gabi Kanyevski, did not post support. The club clarified that this was not a sign of opposition, noting that Dor Peretz has not been active on Instagram for four years, and Gabi Kanyevski does not have an account.