Goalkeeper Tomer Tzarfati has signed with Kfar Shalem of Israel’s second division after a difficult spell at Maccabi Netanya. In an interview on Sport5’s "5 BaAvir" after the move was announced on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, he described feeling pushed aside by the club where he grew up.
Tzarfati said the situation deteriorated after coaching changes, when he fell out of the starting lineup. He said he and his family had chosen to stay at Netanya last season despite offers from other Premier League and National League teams, and that in January he was supposed to join Bnei Yehuda. According to him, Netanya first told him he would be released after a cup match against Jaffa, then reversed course and kept him at the club.
He said the hardest part was being excluded from training and even being told not to enter the complex. "There were days I went into the room and cried," he said. "I did not feel like a footballer, just someone wearing the uniform." Tzarfati added that he believed the club’s anger may have been tied to his father going on air, although he said that was never stated directly, and that he was later suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.
He also said he spoke with coach Roni Levy when Levy arrived, and was told, "You are like my son and I want you to succeed," but the expected release did not happen. Tzarfati said Netanya never sent him a farewell message when it declined to exercise his option, leaving him a free agent. He said he will remember the positive parts of his time there, but admitted, "I am really hurt by this club."
