Kobi Refaelov is returning to football as the new professional director of Bnei Eilat, a second-division side, in one of the more intriguing lower-league projects in recent years. The club is expected to be bought by Ashkelon businessman David Waturi, who is set to become owner of both the senior team and the youth academy. Waturi, through attorney Amir Cohen, completed the deal with Refaelov.
The agreement is unusually large for Liga Bet. Refaelov signed a three-year contract worth 400,000 shekels per year. He will also receive a hotel room in a five-star hotel for nights he needs to stay in Eilat, plus a car and fuel card. He will have sweeping authority over the entire club and is intended to be the dominant figure in the project.
Under the terms of the deal, Refaelov will decide who coaches the team, and the main sporting target is promotion already in the coming season. A source familiar with the details said Refaelov is a “super professional” and that the aim is to build a major project and bring Eilat to the top of Israeli football.
Refaelov is returning to the game after a difficult period, and after years in which he had refused to work anywhere outside the Premier League. Following the signing, he is expected to move much of his life to Eilat and spend a significant part of each week in the southern city.
