1954–55_Shapira_Cup
The 1954–55 season was the seventh season of competitive football in Israel and the 29th season under the Israeli Football Association, established in 1928, during the British Mandate.
1953–54 Liga Alef
Although league matches for the previous season ended on 13 March 1954,[1] the confirmation of the league's final standings was delayed, as a match between Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Petah Tikva, which was played on 26 December 1953 and ended with a 3–2 win for Haifa, was claimed to be fixed, to allow Maccabi Haifa to win.[2] Eventually, on 10 January 1955, the IFA decided to replay the match in a neutral venue,[3] Maccabi Haifa won the rematch 4–1 and secured their spot in the top division.[4] However, with the IFA already deadlocked with an ongoing dispute between Hapoel and Maccabi, Beitar declared its resignation from the IFA in protest of the IFA decision to replay the Maccabi Haifa-Maccabi Petah Tikva match.[5][6] Discussions were held with the help of Judge Yosef-Michael Lamm, and an agreement between the factions was reached on 28 January 1955, confirming the results of the season and reprieving Beitar Tel Aviv and Hapoel Balfouria from relegation.[7][8]
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (C) | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 59 | 11 | 5.364 | 38 |
| 2 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 50 | 22 | 2.273 | 32 |
| 3 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 55 | 25 | 2.200 | 27 |
| 4 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 18 | 1.944 | 25 |
| 5 | Maccabi Rehovot | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 30 | 33 | 0.909 | 21 |
| 6 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 31 | 35 | 0.886 | 20 |
| 7 | Maccabi Netanya | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 36 | 0.639 | 19 |
| 8 | Maccabi Haifa | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 26 | 51 | 0.510 | 19 |
| 9 | Hapoel Haifa | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 26 | 37 | 0.703 | 18 |
| 10 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 27 | 38 | 0.711 | 17 |
| 11 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 42 | 0.548 | 17 |
| 12 | Hapoel Balfouria | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 20 | 57 | 0.351 | 11 |
(C) Champions
Shapira Cup
During the first half of the season, as no league matches were played, Hapoel Tel Aviv organized a league competition for the top Tel Aviv teams, Hapoel, Maccabi, Beitar and Maccabi Jaffa. The competition was played as a double round-robin tournament, with the top placed team winning the cup, named after former Hapoel Tel Aviv treasurer, Yosef Shapira.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hapoel Tel Aviv (W) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 1.714 | 10 |
| 2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 2.000 | 8 |
| 3 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 0.875 | 4 |
| 4 | Maccabi Jaffa | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 0.294 | 2 |
Results
| Home \ Away | BTA | HTA | MJA | MTA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beitar Tel Aviv | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1[lower-alpha 1] |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Maccabi Jaffa | 1–0 | 1–3 | — | 1–5 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
1954–55 Liga Alef
League matches were delayed until 6 February 1955, and by the time the IFA had gone to summer break, 20 rounds of matches were completed, delaying the end of the league season to the next season.[9]
League table (as of 2 July 1955)
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 20 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 68 | 20 | 3.400 | 31 |
| 2 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 38 | 15 | 2.533 | 30 |
| 3 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 37 | 17 | 2.176 | 26 |
| 4 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 48 | 36 | 1.333 | 23 |
| 5 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 24 | 1.125 | 22 |
| 6 | Maccabi Haifa | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 36 | 29 | 1.241 | 21 |
| 7 | Maccabi Netanya | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 39 | 39 | 1.000 | 21 |
| 8 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 20 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 29 | 30 | 0.967 | 18 |
| 9 | Maccabi Rehovot | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 35 | 37 | 0.946 | 18 |
| 10 | Hapoel Haifa | 20 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 31 | 35 | 0.886 | 18 |
| 11 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 23 | 27 | 0.852 | 17 |
| 12 | Beitar Jerusalem | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 47 | 0.574 | 15 |
| 13 | Hapoel Hadera | 20 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 24 | 37 | 0.649 | 14 |
| 14 | Hapoel Balfouria | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 23 | 92 | 0.250 | 6 |
The competition started on 22 January 1955, and by the end of the season reached the quarter-finals stage. The competition was completed during the next season.
National team
No official matches were played by the national team during the season.[10]
Outgoing tours
Maccabi Tel Aviv tour of Italy
In August 1954, Maccabi Tel Aviv departed for a tour of Italy, intending to play Lazio, Torino, Roma and Napoli. However, the matches against Torino and Roma were cancelled,[11] and the team returned home after playing just two matches in Italy and one more match, en route home, against RC Paris, which was Ernst Happel's first match for RC Paris.[12]
| 29 August 1954 | Lazio | 0–0 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Rome |
| [13] | Stadium: Stadio della Rondinella Referee:  Giacomo Bertolio |
| 12 September 1954 | Napoli | 7–1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Napoli |
Coccarelli  1'Jeppson 4', 10' Posio 26' Vitali 35', 52' Pesaola 43' |
[14][15] | Merimovich 82' |
Stadium: Stadio Arturo Collana |
| 16 September 1954 | RC Paris | 1–1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Paris |
| Sénac 88' |
[16] | Goldstein 64' |
Stadium: Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir |
Petah Tikva XI tour of Cyprus
On 24 September 1954 a team of players from both Hapoel Petah Tikva and Maccabi Petah Tikva departed for a tour of Cyprus, without the consent of the IFA. The Hapoel organization sent a telegram forbidding the participation of Hapoel players in any match, and the team played as Maccabi Petah Tikva.[17] After returning to Israel, Maccabi Petah Tikva was banned for 6 months for its part of the tour, while Hapoel Petah Tikva received a fine of IL50.[18]
Maccabi Israel tour of England
A Maccabi XI, composed of the best players affiliated with Maccabi clubs, took a tour of England between 21 October and 7 November 1954. Maccabi lost all four matches during the tour and was criticized heavily for arranging the tour and the pick of its opponents.[20]
| 26 October 1954 | Arsenal | 4–1 | Maccabi XI | London |
| Holton 20' (pen.), 28' Milton 69' Tapscott 70' |
[21] | Israeli 76' |
Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 10,000 |
| 29 October 1954 | Wolves | 10–0 | Maccabi XI | Wolverhampton |
| Flowers 11' Swinbourne 16', 60', 86'Broadbent 19' Hancocks 42', 62'Wilshaw 50' McDonald 63' |
[22] | Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 30,000 |
| 1 November 1954 | Hull City | 4–0 | Maccabi XI | Hull |
| Ackerman 15' Reznik 22' (o.g.) Horton 56' Downie 89' |
[23] | Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 10,500 |
| 3 November 1954 | Notts County | 4–2 | Maccabi XI | Nottingham |
| Stadium: Meadow Lane |
Visiting foreign teams
Beşiktaş
The visiting Turks met several composite teams, in Petah Tikva, a team from the local Hapoel and Maccabi teams, in Tel Aviv a team of the best Hapoel affiliated players and in Haifa a team from the Hapoel teams of Haifa, Kiryat Haim and Tirat HaCarmel.
| 19 September 1954 | Petah Tikva XI | 0–2 | Beşiktaş | Petah Tikva |
| Stadium: Hapoel Ground |
| 22 September 1954 | Hapoel XI | 3–1 | Beşiktaş | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
| 25 September 1954 | Haifa Region Hapoel XI | 1–2 | Beşiktaş | Haifa |
| Stadium: Kiryat Haim Stadium |
Udarnik Sofia
Udarnik was invited to a return visit to Hapoel tour of Bulgaria during the previous season. The team arrived 8 October 1954 and played three matches in Israel. At the end of the tour, as the Bulgarians encountered problems with obtaining visas for a layover in Istanbul, a fourth match was arranged with mixed teams of Udarnik, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Jaffa.
| 10 October 1954 | Hapoel XI | 0–3 | Udarnik Sofia | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
| 12 October 1954 | Tel Aviv XI | 1–3 | Udarnik Sofia | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
| 16 October 1954 | Petah Tikva XI | 2–3 | Udarnik Sofia | Petah Tikva |
| Stadium: Hapoel Ground |
| 23 October 1954 | Maccabi Jaffa/Udarnik | 3–1 | Hapoel Tel Aviv/Udarnik | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
APOEL FC
| 7 April 1955 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–1 | APOEL FC | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
| 9 April 1955 | Maccabi Haifa | 2–0 | APOEL FC | Haifa |
| Stadium: Kiryat Eliezer Stadium |
| 11 April 1955 | Jerusalem XI | 2–2 | APOEL FC | Jerusalem |
| Stadium: YMCA Stadium |
Associação Atlética Portuguesa
| 4 May 1955 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–3 | Portuguesa | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
| 7 May 1955 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 0–4 | Portuguesa | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
| 10 May 1955 | Tel Aviv XI | 0–4 | Portuguesa | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Basa Stadium |
AC Omonia
| 27 May 1955 | Petah Tikva XI | 4–1 | AC Omonia | Petah Tikva |
| Stadium: Hapoel Ground |
| 28 May 1955 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 1–4 | AC Omonia | Kfar Saba |
| Stadium: Hapoel Ground |
| 31 May 1955 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 4–2 | AC Omonia | Tel Aviv |
| Stadium: Maccabiah Stadium |
- Beitar Tel Aviv to Liga Bet[permanent dead link] Al HaMishmar, 14 March 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- The Scandal in Haifa[permanent dead link] Herut, 3 January 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- The League Match Maccabi Haifa-P.T. Will Be Replayed This Saturday in Kfar Saba Hadshot HaSport, 12 January 1955, via archive.football.org.il (in Hebrew)
- Maccabi Haifa - Maccabi P.T. 4:1 (2:1)[permanent dead link] Ma'ariv, 16 January 1955, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- Hapoel Left Alone in the FA[permanent dead link] Ma'ariv, 16 January 1955, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- Beitar Withdrew from the FA Management Hadshot HaSport, 16 January 1955, via archive.football.org.il (in Hebrew)
- The Football Conflict Is Eliminated - 14 Teams Will Begin Liga Alef Matches Next Saturday Hadshot HaSport, 30 January 1955, via archive.football.org.il (in Hebrew)
- Peace Returned to the Football Association[permanent dead link] Ma'ariv, 30 January 1955, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- 1955-1955 Liga Leumit Schedule Archived 2015-07-26 at the Wayback Machine dribblist.com (in Hebrew)
- Matches Against National Teams elel.co.il (via Internet Archive) (in Hebrew)
- Today: Napoli–Maccabi T.A. Al HaMishmar, 12 September 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- Today: Two Minutes Before the Whistle The Equalizing Goal Was Score in the Maccabi Racing Match Al HaMishmar, 21 September 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- A Nice Game of Maccabi T.A. Herut, 3 September 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- So Maccabi Was Defeated in Napoli Herut, 17 September 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- A Torrent of Goals in Napoli Stadium Davar, 17 September 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- A Draw for Maccabi T.A. in Its Match With Racing Herut, 22 September 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- Petah Tikva XI Plays in Cyprus Without the FA's Consent Herut, 1 October 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- Maccabi P.T. Punished for Six Months Over an "Underground" Tour of Cyprus Hadshot HaSport, 14 November 1954, p. 2 (in Hebrew)
- The Cypriot Football Took a Step Forward Davar, 6 October 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- The Great Disgrace of the Israeli Football Al HaMishmar, 31 October 1954, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- Two "Black Moments" Denied a Great Achievement Hadshot Hasport, 27 October 1954, p. 1 & 4 (in Hebrew)
- How the Wolves Won 10:0 Hadshot HaSport, 31 October 1954, p. 1 & 8 (in Hebrew)
- Hull City – Maccabi 4:0 Hadshot Hasport, 3 November 1954, p. 1 & 4 (in Hebrew)