Hapoel Ironi Tiberias Faces Setback as Sambinha's Contract Unapproved

Hapoel Ironi Tiberias is preparing for the league's return and was expecting reinforcements, David Keltjens and Niv Gottlieb, who are back after serving suspensions for the "Ironi" affair. Both players are eligible to join coaches Alon Ziv and Moti Krispil for the upcoming match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

However, the team received a blow regarding defender Sambinha. As of now, the foreign defender's contract, who returned after a three-month suspension for the same affair, has not yet been approved by the budget control, meaning he is unlikely to be included in the squad against the champions. The club is in a race against time to get Sambinha's contract approved by noon tomorrow. Unlike Keltjens and Gottlieb, Sambinha's contract was not processed during his suspension period, and Tiberias currently lacks the funds to finalize it.

This situation is a significant setback for the team, which had hoped to have all three players available after their bans. While Keltjens and Gottlieb will be at the coaching staff's disposal, Tiberias remains uncertain about Sambinha's availability for the next game.

In other team news, injured players Chris Koako and Kais Ganem have not fully recovered and will not be in the squad. Armenian forward Arthur Miranyan has returned from the Armenian national team and is expected to start in the attack. Despite the perceived difference in team strength, Tiberias is aiming for an upset, with a club representative stating that any points gained against top teams like Be'er Sheva, Beitar, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv, or Maccabi Haifa would be a bonus this season.