Maccabi Haifa Seeks New Coach After Bakhar Resignation
Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba
Maccabi Haifa is searching for a new head coach after Barak Bakhar resigned following a 4-0 loss to Maccabi Netanya. The club is considering several Israeli coaches, including Barak Itzhaki, Sharon Mimer, Guy Luzon, Marco Balbul, Itay Mordechai, David Marten, Adrian Rochet, and Guy Tzarfati. Bakhar's assistant, David Marten, and former youth team manager Itay Mordechai are also among the potential candidates. The team will play Bnei Sakhnin upon returning from the international break.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Barak Bakhar resigned as Maccabi Haifa coach after a 4-0 loss to Maccabi Netanya.
- Maccabi Haifa will seek a new coach during the November international break.
- Several Israeli coaches are reportedly being considered for the vacant position.
- Barak Itzhaki has an exit clause from Anorthosis and a guaranteed contract.
- Guy Luzon aims to return to club coaching after leading the youth team to Euro semifinals.
- Itay Mordechai, Maccabi Haifa's youth team manager, is open to coaching the senior team.
Maccabi Haifa will return from the international break with a new head coach following the resignation of Barak Bakhar. Bakhar announced his departure live on Saturday after the team's 4-0 loss to Maccabi Netanya, just before the November international break. The team is scheduled to play against Bnei Sakhnin in Doha upon their return.
The club is reportedly considering several available coaches. Barak Itzhaki, currently with Anorthosis, has an exit clause requiring compensation and a guaranteed two-year contract. He is expected to earn 120,000 euros until the end of the current season. Sharon Mimer, formerly of Bnei Sakhnin and Bnei Raina, recently managed Ashdod, failing to prevent their relegation. He previously led Raina to the top playoff and served as an assistant to Bakhar at Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
Guy Luzon, the current youth team coach, has expressed his intention to return to coaching club teams after the recent campaign, during which he led the youth team to the Euro semifinals. Former Maccabi Haifa coach Marco Balbul has not coached since October 2024, following a brief stint with Indian club NorthEast United. Itay Mordechai, manager of Maccabi Haifa's youth team, has experience managing the senior team after Bakhar's previous dismissal and has stated his readiness for the head coach role.
Other potential candidates include David Marten, Bakhar's assistant, who has coached in the National League, and Adrian Rochet, a former Kiryat Shmona player and current youth team coach who also served as an assistant to the senior team. Guy Tzarfati, Bakhar's assistant for three stints at Haifa, left the club at the end of the season and is linked with Ashdod. He previously coached Maccabi Netanya for 18 games. The possibility of hiring a foreign coach is considered less likely after the short tenure of Diego Flores.
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