Tiberias FC Celebrates Hard-Fought Draw, Eyes League Survival

Hapoel Ironi Tiberias expressed satisfaction with their 1-1 draw against Beitar Jerusalem on Saturday, with club officials stating they "deserved to win" the match, which they considered one of their best performances this season. Despite facing financial uncertainty and a potential additional points deduction, Tiberias's fight for survival in the Israeli Premier League is gaining momentum.

Coach Alon Ziv and his staff received praise for preparing the team to play an attacking and brave game. "It's a good point, but the feeling is we could have come away with three," said club representatives. "When we play good football and aren't afraid, good things happen."

Goalkeeper Ido Sharon has been a stabilizing force for Tiberias. "I made an unusual step coming to Tiberias, I believed in myself from the first moment and I'm happy and hope to continue with this performance," Sharon stated. "My defense is doing a truly excellent job. We have a team of men, we went through a tough scenario and players stayed here, we are truly a good team. Without the point deduction, I really think we would be looking forward, not at the bottom, but we have a mission and we need to complete it." He added that his immediate goal is to keep Tiberias in the league, with no discussions about his future in January.

However, the club was also angered by a missed penalty call in the box, which they felt was a clear foul on Ondrej Bacho. "If that's not a penalty, then we don't know what is. Shame and disgrace. Where was Shmuelovitch who was on VAR?! They kicked Bacho in the face without any attention from the refereeing team," a club source said.

Tiberias is expected to lose an additional three points this week as a plea deal with the Football Association is finalized, leaving them with only one point. Despite this, the club is optimistic that the "transfer affair" will be behind them, allowing them to focus solely on their performance on the field. Players have been given a week off and will return to training next Sunday. The team hopes to have Ziv Morgan and Daniel Golani, both suffering from hamstring injuries, back to fitness before the league break. Tiberias will play Hapoel Haifa in their next match.