The Israel Premier League came back with a vengeance this week with a number of fabulous games that starved fans were thrilled to have the opportunity to witness – at least on television – after a lengthy break that began in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In fact, the level of play on the field was actually a bit better than when we left off a few months ago, but there was one massive difference in the product that will now accompany the soccer supporters for at least the balance of the campaign; there were no supporters in the stands.
Having gone to close to 4,000 sporting events over the past 40+ years, I’ve witnessed my fair share of interesting atmospheres, including a few soccer games played “behind closed doors.” However, this time had a very distinctive feeling from the Teddy Stadium press box in Jerusalem for the Beitar versus Hapoel Beersheba clash on Saturday.
I headed out of my home in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem just minutes after the end of the Sabbath at 8:20 p.m. and made record time to the parking lot between the eastern side of the stadium and the Pais Arena. As I pulled in, the security guard asked me where I was going and directed me right and said I could park wherever I please. Had he told me to go left, I would have been heading into the COVID-19 drive-through checkpoint set up at the facility.
As I approached the press entrance by foot, I secured my facemask and met one of the stadium personnel who recognized me immediately and shouted my name in joy, despite my baseball hat and face covering. He also had a surgical mask and gloves and then took my temperature which I assume I passed with flying colors as he waved me through.
Next, I went into the garage area where the television trucks and ambulances are parked and into the stadium I went, where another security guard guided me to the stairway that would lead me to the makeshift press box. The press area is currently in the middle of the stands due to construction that will see eight brand-new luxury boxes and a new media section once completed. I also noticed that the southern roof had finally been completed, which provided a nice cover for the winds that usually whip through Teddy on a spring night.
Once in the press area, there needed to be at least two empty seats between each journalist, which was not difficult to do on this night, and Beitar had another staff member in charge to make sure that each one of us wore a mask throughout the 90 minutes of play. Press officer Assaf Nachum made sure to acknowledge the press in attendance with a big wave, and I’m sure an equally large smile under his mask. Per the guidelines, reserve players were also placed in the stands and not in the dugout on the bench in order to keep proper distance between them as well.
Playing any sport in an empty stadium is a challenge for both the players and the journalists, but on this night you would have never known it. Players slid for the ball, ran as fast as they could and played rough-and-tumble soccer, but also kept an incredible pace going up and down the field as if there were over 30,000 fans in the stands. They did of course know that tens of thousands were watching at home and at least on TV the broadcaster pumped in phony fan noise to give the feel that the stadium was overflowing.
In fact, Beitar used Zoom to show many of its season ticket holders and club members on the big screen at the stadium cheering the players on in a unique twist that I am sure other teams will copy. As well, the yellow-and-black sold special game-day home packages with a jersey, scarf and two Carlsberg beers as many took advantage of the offer to be as close as possible to their sporting passion.
Beersheba broke the ice with a Tomer Yosefi goal early in the second half and, yes, the players did celebrate a bit. It’s not easy to hold back in celebrating a goal and the league won’t discipline players that do, understanding that there is just so much you can control on and off of the field.
Beitar drew even a bit later and to celebrate Levi Garcia did back flip after back flip which looked like he was trying to stay away from his teammates, but they found him eventually as they congratulated him on a magnificent strike.
Following the final whistle of the 1-1 draw, instead of a press conference we headed down the stairs and towards the exit as the team would be sending the journalists quotes and other videos to use at their various media outlets.
However, once we went down the stairs we heard the distinctive voice of long-time team staffer Meir Harush screaming through his mask to anyone who would listen that the referees had called way t0o many yellow cards and fouls on Beitar. One could see the same rage in his eyes that we’ve all seen for decades.
Some things may be very different now at a soccer game, but there is still plenty that will remain the same.