Hapoel Be'er Sheva Plays Kangva Amid Transfer Drama Before Vikingur Clash

On Tuesday, just hours before Hapoel Be'er Sheva's Champions League qualifier against Vikingur in Iceland, a tense transfer negotiation unfolded involving the club and AEK Athens over midfielder Kings Kangwa. AEK Athens demanded that Kangwa not play in the match as part of their ongoing bid to acquire him. Throughout the day, AEK was in contact with Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Kangwa's agent, Nir Karin, but the Greek club refused to meet Be'er Sheva's asking price for the player. Be'er Sheva set a deadline about two hours before kickoff, stating that if AEK did not raise their offer, Kangwa would play.

AEK did not increase their bid, so Hapoel Be'er Sheva decided to field Kangwa, who responded professionally by playing and scoring the equalizer in the 2-1 loss to Vikingur. The transfer saga visibly affected Kangwa, who appeared very tired during the match. He also received an early yellow card, which risked hurting the team in the second half, leading to his substitution near the end of the game.

The transfer deal has not collapsed yet, but Hapoel Be'er Sheva is proud of standing firm on their valuation and not yielding to AEK's offer. The club chose to trust their squad's integrity by starting Kangwa despite the ongoing negotiations.