Former Maccabi Tel Aviv Star Ori Suliman Recounts Career and Life After Football
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Former Maccabi Tel Aviv player Ori Suliman discussed his career, prioritizing work over national team play, and a past incident where Beitar Jerusalem fans chased a teammate, with Robi Rivlin intervening. Suliman also recalled meeting Pele as a child and later coaching Dor Peretz. Now 73, Suliman remains active, driving extensively for his wine distribution job.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Former Maccabi Tel Aviv player Ori Suliman prioritized work over national team appearances due to financial needs.
- Beitar Jerusalem fans chased teammate Arie Mizrahi after a match, with Robi Rivlin intervening to prevent an assault.
- Suliman met football legend Pele as a child and received his autograph after sneaking into his hotel.
- Suliman coached Dor Peretz, now Maccabi Tel Aviv's captain, and expressed pride in his development.
- Now 73, Suliman remains active distributing wine and driving extensively across Israel.
- Suliman misses former teammates Avi Cohen and Vicky Peretz.
Ori Suliman, a prominent player for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1970s, has shared reflections on his career, his decision to prioritize work over national team appearances, and a dramatic incident involving Beitar Jerusalem fans.
Suliman, who won three championships and a cup with Maccabi Tel Aviv, explained that he often juggled football with other jobs, including newspaper delivery and diamond sales, to earn a living. He turned down a place on the Israeli national team, despite coach Emanuel Shaffer's interest, because he felt it wouldn't provide sufficient income. "I didn't go to the grocery store with national team appearances," he stated, emphasizing the financial realities of the era.
He recalled a specific match against Beitar Jerusalem in the 1976/77 season, where a tackle on Ori Malmilian incited the home crowd. After the game, fans mistook teammate Arie Mizrahi for Suliman and chased him to the King David Hotel. Suliman credits Robi Rivlin, then chairman of Beitar Jerusalem, with intervening and preventing the assault. Rivlin and Suliman later reconnected when Rivlin became president.
Suliman also recounted a childhood encounter with football legend Pele. At age eight, he snuck into a hotel where Pele was staying and was initially detained by security. Pele, however, intervened, embraced the young Suliman, and signed his autograph book along with his teammates.
After retiring from playing at 38, Suliman coached in lower leagues and youth departments, notably being the first coach of current Maccabi Tel Aviv captain Dor Peretz. He expressed pride in Peretz's development and questioned the club's consideration of letting him go. Suliman, now 73, remains active, distributing wine across Israel and driving approximately 5,000 kilometers monthly, despite vision loss in his left eye and a previous divorce.
He continues to attend Maccabi Tel Aviv matches and misses former teammates Avi Cohen and Vicky Peretz, who are no longer alive.