Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C.

Bnei Yehuda

Full name	Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv Football Club
Nickname(s)	HaShkhuna (The Neighbourhood) HaZehuvim (The Goldens) HaArayot (The Lions)
Founded	1936
Ground	Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Capacity	14,960
Chairman	Moshe Damaio
Manager	Dror Kashtan
League	Israeli Premier League
2011–12	3rd
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. (Template:Lang-he, Moadon Kaduregel Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv), commonly known as just Bnei Yehuda, is an Israeli football club from the Hatikva Quarter of Tel Aviv. The club is currently a member of the Israeli Premier League and plays its home matches at Bloomfield Stadium.

History

The club was formed in January 1936 by Nathan Sulami and his friends. They were first promoted to the top division in 1959. Two seasons later they narrowly avoided relegation, finishing second from bottom. In 1965 the club reached the State Cup final for the first time, but lost 2–1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1968 they reached the final again, this time beating Hapoel Petah Tikva to claim their first piece of major silverware.

After several near-misses, the club was relegated at the end of the 1971–72 season after finishing second from bottom. However, they made an immediate return as Liga Alef champions but were relegated again in 1976. In the 1977–78 season the club were promoted back to the top division as Liga Artzit champions, and also reached the State Cup final, where they lost 2–1 to Maccabi Netanya. The following season the club finished fourth in Liga Leumit.

The 1980–81 season was the club's best so far. Managed by Shlomo Sharf they finished second in the league and reached the cup final again, this time beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 4–3 after a penalty shootout. However, the success was not maintained, and they were relegated at the end of the 1983–84 season.

The club made an immediate return as Liga Artzit champions and finished second in 1986–87. The 1989–90 season saw the club win its first, and to date only, championship under the leadership of Giora Spiegel. Two seasons later they won the Toto Cup for the first time, repeating the feat in 1997.

The 2000–01 season saw Bnei Yehuda finish second from bottom of the Premier League (which had replaced Liga Leumit as the top division) and the club was relegated. However, they made an immediate return as Liga Leumit runners-up. The club have remained in the Premier League since. In 2005–06 they reached the cup final, losing 1–0 to Hapoel Tel Aviv, but also qualifying for Europe for the first time. In the 2006–07 UEFA Cup they lost 6–0 on aggregate to Lokomotiv Sofia and had to play their home match in Senec in Slovakia due to security concerns.

In the 2009–10 season Bnei Yehuda reached the European League play-off, after starting in the first qualifying round, but lost to PSV 2–0 on aggregate. The following season they reached the second qualifying round of the Europa League, but lost to Shamrock Rovers.

In recent years, Bnei Yehuda managed to finish regularly in the top 3-4 ranks of the Israeli Premier League which won her participation in the European League qualifying. Following the success, the group became a springboard for players. Many players who were remarkable in the ranks of Bnei Yehuda have moved or were sold to bigger clubs and others were called to the national team.

Stadium

For most of its existence, Bnei Yehuda played at the Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium in the Hatikva Quarter of Tel Aviv. However, in 2004 the team moved their home matches to the Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa, though the club offices, the team's practice grounds and most activities within the club are still held in the Hatikva stadium.

European Cups History

UEFA Cup / Europa League:

Season	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2006–07	Q2		Lokomotiv Sofia	0–2	0–4	0–6
2009–10	Q1		Simurq PFC	3–0	1–0	4–0
	Q2		Dinaburg Daugavpils	4–0	1–0	5–0
	Q3		Paços Ferreira	1–0	1–0	2–0
	Play-off		PSV	0–1	0–1	0–2
2010–11	Q1		Ulisses	1–0	0–0	1–0
	Q2		Shamrock Rovers	0–1	1–1	1–2
2011–12	Q2		UE Sant Julià	2–0	2–0	4–0
	Q3		Helsingborgs IF	1–0	0–3	1–3
2012–13	Q2		Shirak	2–0	1–0	3–0
	Q3		PAOK	0–2	1–4	1–6

Current squad

As of 15 August 2012. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	NGA	Dele Aiyenugba
2	DF	ISR	Nadav Muniss
3	FW	ISR	Orr Barouch (on loan from Chicago Fire) {{Fs player|no= 5|nat=CAM|name=Yoro Lamine Ly|pos=MF|
6	DF	ISR	Gal Cohen
7	MF	ISR	Oz Raly
8	MF	ISR	Stav Finish
9	MF	ISR	Amir Agayov
10	FW	ISR	Gil Itzhak
11	MF	ISR	Rafi Dahan (on loan from Maccabi Tel Aviv)
12	MF	ISR	Lior Bargig
13	FW	HUN	Ádám Hrepka

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	MF	ISR	Ness Zamir
16	MF	LTU	Kęstutis Ivaškevičius
17	DF	ISR	Itzik Azuz
19	FW	SRB	Nenad Marinković
20	MF	ARG	Pedro Galván
21	DF	ISR	Aviv Hadad
22	GK	ISR	Tom Almadon
23	MF	ISR	Kfir Edri (captain)
25	DF	ISR	Yagil Biton (on loan from Maccabi Tel Aviv)
26	MF	ISR	Shalev Menashe
27	MF	ISR	Ruslan Bersלi

Honours

• Israeli Championships
  • Winners (1): 1989-90
  • Runners-up (3): 1980–81, 1986–87, 1991–92
• State Cup
  • Winners (2): 1968, 1981
  • Runners-up (4): 1965, 1978, 2006, 2010
• Toto Cup
  • Winners (2): 1991-92, 1996–97
• Second Division
  • Winners (3): 1958-59, 1972-73, 1977-78

Managers

• Nitzan Shirazi (2005–08)
• Eli Cohen (Jan 2008–June 8)
• Guy Luzon (July 2008–May 10)
• Dror Kashtan (July 2010–June 11)
• Yossi Abukasis (June 2011–May 12)
• Dror Kashtan (May 2012–)

External links

• Official Site – the new official website Template:He icon
• Fans Forum Template:He icon
• Bnei Yehuda Museum Encyclopedia of Bnei Yehuda Template:He icon
• Arayot Yehuda Fan Club Template:He icon
• Bnei Yehuda Fansite Template:He icon