Ofir Kriaf on loyalty, Beitar, and why Jerusalem players feel different

Former midfielder Ofir Kriaf said on Sport 5’s Jerusalem football podcast that he sacrificed salary for Beitar Jerusalem and still felt strongly attached to the club when he retired in March. Kriaf, one of the last modern one-club symbols, said he wanted to end his career at Beitar, where he grew up and played the most years, but after a short spell in Ashdod he stopped playing.

Kriaf recalled turning down offers from clubs he did not consider close to Beitar, and said he even agreed to cuts so the club could survive in the Premier League for another season. He added that when there were plans to cut wages for staff members and soldiers, he suggested reducing his own pay instead so they would not leave and the team would still have massage staff. He also said he received an offer from Hapoel Tel Aviv, and referred listeners to coach Kobi Refua.

Asked about the famous slogan "Beitar pure forever," Kriaf called it "the most populist thing and furthest from what actually happened." He said the club was then used as part of Arkadi Gaydamak’s political game when he wanted to become mayor of Jerusalem, and added that Gaydamak did not understand that 90 percent of Beitar’s fans were outside the city. Kriaf said the club’s Chechen players, Zayed and Kadyev, suffered there every moment.

On the question of why Beitar never signed a Muslim player, Kriaf said the issue was bigger than him and doubted any Arab player would want to join the club. He singled out teammate Miguel Silva as his closest friend in football, praising him as a family man, a great professional, an Israel lover and a fan favorite. He then said he trusts Jerusalem-born players more than others, describing Jerusalem people as warm and genuine, unlike what he called the hypocritical center of the country.