Local Soccer: Eli Cohen quits as Bnei Yehuda coach

By ALLON SINAI
Eli Cohen quit as Bnei Yehuda coach late Tuesday night after winning just once in 12 league matches. Cohen, who was sacked by Maccabi Tel Aviv two matches into the season, replaced Nitzan Shirazi at Bnei Yehuda in December, but struggled throughout his stay at the club. Bnei Yehuda scored a mere six goals under Cohen and is 11 points from safety after losing to fellow struggler Hapoel Tel Aviv on Saturday. Ya'akov Asayag and Hezi Shirazi will guide the team for the remainder of the season, starting this Saturday at Bnei Sakhnin. Ironi Kiryat Shmona coach Ran Ben-Shimon announced on Wednesday that he is leaving the club at the end of the season. Kiryat Shmona, which was only promoted from the second division last summer, is currently third in the standings and faces Betar/Shimshon Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals of the State Cup. Ben-Shimon's success at the small club has attracted the attention of Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv and following Wednesday's announcement he's widely expected to sign for one of the Premier League's top sides in the coming weeks. Former Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Lod coach Michel Dayan will replace Ben-Shimon at Kiryat Shmona.