This is an advertisement for a football match that took place in Israel’s Bloomfield Stadium in December 1967 between the Israeli team and Ajax Amsterdam, the reigning champions of Holland and quarter finalists in the previous season’s European Cup. There are few records about this game, although it can be assumed that it would have been received with great excitement by the country’s many football fans. It took place in the Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa, which is the home for three Tel Aviv clubs: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv.
Despite having no particular connections to Jews or Judaism, Ajax Amsterdam maintains a Jewish identity: Israeli flags are often waved by fans, who have dubbed their club, “Super Jews.” Some fans even have Star of David tattoos. This may derive from both the fact that Amsterdam was once known as the “Jerusalem of the West” because of its large Jewish population before the Holocaust and that the team’s original stadium was close to a predominantly Jewish area of Amsterdam.
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Football in Israel – Football is the most popular sport in Israel, both to watch and to play. Maccabi Tel Aviv, founded in 1906, is Israel’s oldest team. The first Tel Aviv derby took place in 1928, and the first league was founded in 1932 and was open to British mandate clubs, one of which won the inaugural competition. The Israeli (then known as Mandatory Palestine) football team’s first international match was in a qualifying game for the 1934 World Cup, in which they lost 11-2 over two legs to Egypt.
Israeli International Football - The 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico was a turning point in Israeli football and sports. It was the first and last time that the Israel’s national football team qualified for the World Cup. The inexperienced Israeli team reached the finals and drew against both Sweden and Italy, losing only to Uruguay before being eliminated from the later rounds. Due to the increased focus on Israeli football, the international status of Israeli footballers grew and Israel’s football league became professional, providing Israeli players with international football opportunities. This achievement in the World Cup, three years after the victory of the Six-Day War, helped create a global image of a strong and determined Israel.
Football is the most popular sport in Israel. Introduced by the British during mandate period, organised football consisted of British, Jewish, and Arab clubs. While Israeli football is not as developed or successful as in other parts of the world, some players, such as Yossi Benayoun, Eyal Berkovich, and Haim Revivo, have succeeded in the international arena.
