Maccabi Haifa Suspends Defender Pedro After Injury, Ends His Role at Club

Maccabi Haifa has decided to suspend defender Pedro following his latest injury, which is expected to sideline him for at least a month. The club has resolved that Pedro will no longer be part of the team roster, effectively ending his tenure with the club for at least the upcoming half-season. Instead of loaning or releasing him, Haifa will freeze his contract, freeing up a foreign player slot on the squad.

Currently, Maccabi Haifa's foreign player roster includes Nigel Lodwick, Tsunami, Yila Betay, Cedric Don, Bruninho, Manuel Benson, and Andrea Novakovic. With Pedro's suspension and the imminent departures of Peter Agba and Matias Nahuel, who have yet to find new clubs, Haifa will have room to add one more foreign player if needed.

Pedro, a 29-year-old Brazilian, joined Maccabi Haifa in summer 2024 for a transfer fee of 1.3 million euros from Portuguese club Portimonense. He made only 17 appearances across all competitions before suffering a meniscus tear. This injury has prevented him from regaining full fitness, following a previous season he missed entirely due to injury.