Amsalem gets interim tag removed, named Betar coach

New owners choose 39-year-old former Betar player to remain the team’s coach for the upcoming season.

By ALLON SINAI
David Amsalem 311 (photo credit: Adi Avishai)
David Amsalem 311
(photo credit: Adi Avishai)
There were smiles abound at Betar Jerusalem’s training ground at Beit Vegan on Sunday, with new owners Dan Adler and Adam Levin meeting the players for the first time and announcing that David Amsalem will remain the team’s coach for the upcoming season.
Adler and Levin, who purchased the club from Arkadi Gaydamak last Thursday, were in good spirits on Sunday, joking with the players and even running a lap with them around the pitch.
Earlier in the day, the two decided together with chairman Itzik Kornfein that Amsalem will stay at the helm after guiding the team in recent weeks under so much uncertainty.
There had been speculation that Betar may relegate Amsalem back to the assistant’s position and bring in a more illustrious and expensive coach following Adler and Levin’s takeover.
However, the 39-year-old former Betar player was rewarded for his loyalty on Sunday and will get the chance to prove his worth in the coming months.
“We can now smile and celebrate,” Betar captain Aviram Bruchian said on Sunday. “We are embarking on a new course with new owners and the players are very happy and confident.
We will now be able to have a proper training camp and I’m sure we’ll be a good team this season.
“We were very happy to meet the new owners and they told us that David will be the coach.
He deserves it and we will give our all for him. I don’t believe we will finish close to the top three this season, but Betar will always be a great club.”