Sport
Tzedek and Zahavi dropped for World Cup qualifiers
Shay Tzedek has been dropped for Israel’s last two World Cup matches after failing a drugs test.
October 4, 2017 11:23
Shay Tzedek has been dropped for Israel’s last two World Cup matches after failing a drugs test.
October 4, 2017 11:23The Hapoel Beer Sheva player looks set to face a lengthy suspension and he has been omitted from the squads to face Lichtenstein and Spain.
Eran Zahavi is another notable absentee after being stripped of his captaincy and suspended for ripping off his captain’s armband during the Macedonia defeat.
Israel goes into its final games in the World Cup qualifiers with little to play for other than avoiding the embarrassment of not winning in Liechtenstein on Friday night. They conclude their Group G campaign against Spain at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on Monday.
Israel coach Elisha Levy has made few changes to the squad which suffered a home defeat against Macedonia last month and then lost narrowly 1-0 in Italy.
“We have brought back honour to the national team,” said Levy, who is expected to be replaced ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers, when the far higher number of places available in the finals makes qualification viable.
SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Ariel Harush (Anorthosis Famagusta), Omri Glazer (Maccabi Haifa), Danny Amos (Maccabi Petah Tikva).
Defenders: Tal Ben Haim (Maccabi Haifa), Eitan Tibi (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Omri Ben Harush (Maccabi Haifa), Dor Elo (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Hatem El Hamid (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Ofir Davidzada (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Taleb Tawatha (Eintracht Frankfurt), David Keltjens (Beitar Jerusalem).
Midfielders: Yossi Benayoun (Beitar Jerusalem), Bibras Nathko (CSKA Moscow), Almog Cohen (Ingolstadt), Marwan Kabha (Maribor), Dan Einbinder (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Lior Refaelov (Club Brugges), Maor Melikson (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Gidi Kanyuk (Tashkent), Nir Bitton (Celtic), Idan Vered (Beitar Jerusalem).
Forwards: Tomer Hemed (Brighton), Tal Ben Chaim (Sparta Prague), Etay Shechter (Beitar Jerusalem) and Eliran Attar (Maccabi Tel Aviv).