Maccabi Netanya Excludes Itay Ben Shabat From Squad Amid Player Departures

Maccabi Netanya continued their strong start to the 2026/27 season with a second consecutive Toto Cup victory on July 29, 2026. Despite the positive results, the club is planning to part ways with three players, including veteran defender Itay Ben Shabat, who was surprisingly left out of the squad. Ben Shabat, who served as captain last season and started in the preseason, was expected to play after Kary Konate was sidelined due to muscle pain. However, Netanya officials confirmed that Ben Shabat has become the fourth-choice center-back and will need to find a new club.

Alongside Ben Shabat, the club is also seeking new teams for Aziz Watara and Willian Ciprián, the latter substituted at halftime in the recent match against Maccabi Petah Tikva after a lackluster performance. Meanwhile, players like Ze'ev Zazura, Oz Bilu, Beni Feldman, and Maor Levi received praise for their contributions, especially as the team maintained their lead despite playing with one less player following Zazura's controversial red card. Zazura will miss the upcoming league match against Hapoel Petah Tikva.

Maccabi Netanya is awaiting the arrival of Nigerian player Cristian Naovtseko to strengthen the squad further. Coach Roni Levi plans to continue rotating players to avoid unnecessary injuries ahead of the season's start. In an unusual incident during training, fitness coach Ofer Doron suffered a calf muscle tear after a bad movement during a session with player Dolev Haziza at the Shlomo Biton Stadium. This injury was confirmed after an initial examination.