Maccabi Tel Aviv won its 58th championship on Tuesday night, beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-1, and celebrated into the early hours at the iconic 206 restaurant in Tel Aviv. The title capped a season that club officials described as unusually difficult, with multiple disruptions and constant adjustments.
Club professional manager Claudio Coldebella said the team had achieved both the league championship and the cup, calling it a “crazy season” and praising the players. “We tried every day to coordinate things, to see things differently,” he said, adding that the club faced “so many challenges” and worked to preserve the fans’ energy. “You have to be tough. Every thing is a challenge, that is what I like,” he said.
Coldebella said he learned a lot from the year and tried to stay positive until the end. “In the end something good happens, and I am very happy it happened,” he said. “It felt like three seasons, not one. I am very happy.”
CEO Avi Ben Tal said the celebration at 206 followed tradition and was his first championship as a manager after years as a fan in the stands or on the court. He called it an “amazing feeling” and said it was a very long season that began without EuroLeague games in Israel, continued in Belgrade, and then returned to Israel. “We finished this series in the best possible way,” he said, thanking the players, coach Oded Kattash and the coaching staff.