Maccabi Haifa's Foreign Player Dilemma Delays New Signings and Novakovic's Debut

Maccabi Haifa is facing a foreign player registration issue that is delaying the debut of new American-Serbian striker Andrea Novakovic. The club resumes preparations on Monday for their Toto Cup match against Hapoel Jerusalem at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Novakovic has struggled with a severe virus since arriving in Israel, only recently returning to training and showing readiness to play.

However, Haifa's foreign player quota is currently full with eight players: Yila Betay, Pedrao, Nigel Lonwijk, Tsunami, Cedric Don, Manuel Benson, Bruninho, and Peter Agba. Agba holds offers from clubs in Greece and Russia but refuses to go on loan, waiting instead for a more attractive deal. The club hopes to eventually sell him, but his presence is blocking Novakovic's registration and debut.

Additionally, Haifa is monitoring the condition of right-back Yila Betay, who suffered a knee injury against Bnei Sakhnin. The club is optimistic that the injury is not serious and that Betay will be fit for the league's start.