Can Israel Become a Soccer World Power?

February 14th, 2010 | by: Ibracadabra | Comments(1)

Having narrowly missed out (again) on qualification for the 2010 World Cup, the Israeli national team is low on confidence, and ideas. But the best class of youngsters in recent memory (Sahar, Golasa, and Assulin) combined with the veteran presence of Liverpool’s creative superstar Yossi Benayoun still gives Israeli football fans the belief that the tiny Middle Eastern country could (and should) qualify for a major world tournament sooner rather than later.

The first chance comes this year – as qualification begins for Euro 2012 – and Israel have been handed a pretty straightforward group. Croatia and Greece are the heavyweights – but neither possess the quality or reputation on the world scale to truly strike fear into the hearts of the Israelis… Group F also includes the surprisingly decent Latvia, Georgia, and the very poor Malta.

The country of Israel is home to a population of 7 million, and while we can continue to blame 1) our “small status” (population, lack of funds dedicated to athletic endeavors compared to other similar sized nations, lack of professional coaching facilities, etc.) and 2) the fact that we “Should be qualifying in Asia / AFC” like we used to when we dominated in the 60s and 70s rather than in UEFA – since we aren’t a European country – are really the arguments of sore losers. To be honest, yes I do believe that the Israelis could qualify for every major tournament if they came out of the AFC – but politically, it is just not feasible – so we are stuck with England, Ireland, and France, while we see the likes of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq qualify for major tournaments all around us…

Let’s refute the “we are too small” comment as well… 7 countries in this year’s World Cup are the same size as Israel or smaller. 7 countries! Serbia, Denmark, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Slovenia all have populations equal to or smaller than Israel.

Here’s what it takes. This is what I believe Israel needs: An experienced foreign coach with new ideas and a new mentality. Look at the work Guus Hiddink has done with the likes of Australia, Russia, Korea, etc.

Look at the work Capello has done instilling his own tactics, and a winning Italian mentality into the fragile confidence that used to be the England national team.

Israel’s managers over the last 8 years have been Avram Grant and Dror Kashtan. They have performed decently, but it’s never been enough. “Just close” or “Almost” doesn’t cut it – and that’s the mentality now shaping Israeli players and fans. Are we content with a solid FIFA ranking fluctuating between 20 and 35 in the world depending on results – with the occasional upset of a European power? I’m not.

Bring in a Hiddink. A Jurgen Klinsmann. A Jose Pekerman. What international manager wouldn’t want to take on the Israel challenge? Avram Grant and Dror Kashtan “almost” got us there, so how hard can it really be to get over the hump? We have Yossi Benayoun, a superb captain, and a relatively straightforward qualifying group for Euro 2012. We have beautiful weather year round, attractive beaches, attractive women, and we take to our sport athletes and leaders with immense interest (look at Omri Casspi’s ride as a Sacramento King as an example).

It’s a great job. Take a country with the love of the game, poor resources but brilliant young ingenuity and technique (Benayoun, Assulin, Golasa) and build on that. The youth teams have performed very well in major competitions over the past few years – and now the national team needs to step up and realize their true potential.

No offense to Slovenia or Slovakia, but if they can qualify for the World Cup through UEFA, Israel should be able to as well. Now, the only question remains, “when” not “if.”