Maccabi Tel Aviv Wins Champion of Champions Title, Promises New Signings Soon

Maccabi Tel Aviv kicked off their season with a strong 3-1 victory over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Champion of Champions match held at Turner Stadium. Despite missing key players such as Christian Blitz, Tyrese Asante, and Elad Madmon due to suspensions, and Liao Varela who was at the World Cup, Maccabi displayed excellent attacking football and controlled most of the game. Captain Dor Peretz stood out by scoring the second goal and assisting the third with a backheel pass, while Sagi Yitzhak excelled as a defender, assisting all three goals. Saeid Abu Farhi scored twice, shining as the central striker.

The team secured their place in the Toto Cup semifinals and showed great resilience, especially in the last 25 minutes after Roy Revivo was sent off with a second yellow card. The club disputed the referee's decision, claiming Revivo was pushed before committing the foul, which should have resulted in a free kick rather than a sending off. Revivo will miss the upcoming Toto Cup semifinal due to suspension.

Liao Varela is expected to rejoin training early next week and may be available for the Europa League qualifiers against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol, with the first leg in Moldova and the return leg in Batumi, Georgia. Meanwhile, Maccabi's sporting director Steven Vanharan is actively working to strengthen the squad, aiming to add three or four new players, focusing on a foreign center-back, winger, and striker.

Slovenian forward Ester Sokler from Serbian club Radnicki is close to signing, with only minor details left to finalize. The club is also considering Gabi Kanikovski, though no progress has been made yet. Coach Kenny Miller confirmed the club's clear understanding of their needs but left transfer discussions to the management, expressing confidence that new players will join the team soon.