F.C. Ashdod

Ashdod

Full name

Football Club Ashdod
מועדון ספורט אשדוד

Nickname(s)

The Dolphins

Founded

1999

Ground

Yud-Alef Stadium, Ashdod

Capacity

8,200

Chairman

Yoram Marciano

Manager

Ronny Awat

League

Israeli Premier League

2015–16

Liga Leumit, 1st (promoted)

Home colours

Away colours

F.C. Ashdod (Hebrew: מועדון ספורט אשדוד‎‎, Moadon Sport Ashdod, lit. Ashdod Sport Club or in short Hebrew: מ.ס. אשדוד‎‎, Mem Samekh Ashdod, lit. F.C. Ashdod) is an Israeli football club, playing in the port city of Ashdod. The unorthodox name of the team (no association, i.e. Hapoel, Maccabi, Beitar etc.) is the result of the union of two city rivals, Hapoel Ashdod and Maccabi Ironi Ashdod.

History

During the club's first years, its kit colors were completely blue. When Haim Revivo took a more prominent role in the club, the colors were changed to red and yellow (which was also noted by skeptics of being Revivo's colors during his time at Galatasaray in Turkey). The decision was made that the kit should incorporate two of the previous clubs' colors, Hapoel having been red and Maccabi yellow and blue.

The club was not immediately successful after the merger, and fan support was lacking. During the 2004–05 season, they reached their greatest achievement, a third-place finish in the Israeli Premier League and a berth in the UEFA Cup. The club also reached the final of the Toto Cup, only to go out on penalty kicks. Their first time in a continental competition was not a memorable one, as they went out to the Slovenian PrvaLiga runners-up, NK Domžale.

Prior to the 2014–15 season, the club added Ironi to its name. However, following a dispute with fans of the previous club, Maccabi Ironi Ashdod, during the 2–3 defeat against Maccabi Netanya in the last match of the regular season, the club's chairman, Jacky Ben-Zaken, decided to rename the club to Hapoel Ashdod and to play in red shirts.^[1] Despite warnings from the Israel Football Association, which informed the club that such changes during season are illegal,^[2] Ashdod did show up for their next match, which opened the Bottom playoff, against Hapoel Ra'anana in red shirts, with the caption "F.C. Hapoel Ashdod",^[3] and was eventually disciplined.^[4] Furthermore, the club was punished by FIFA with six points deduction for failing to pay an arbitration award to Nigerian club, Kaduna United, for the transfer of Efe Ambrose in 2010. As a result, the club has been dropped to the bottom place in the Israeli Premier League.^[5] However, in an exceptional decision, FIFA reversed its decision after it was found out that the club did pay the arbitration award.^[6] At the end of the season, the club finished at the bottom of the league, after failing to register a win during their last 15 matches, and for the first time in their history as a merged club, were relegated to the second tier, Liga Leumit, following a defeat of 0–1 against Hapoel Tel Aviv.^[7]^[8]

In the 2015–16 season, the club won Liga Leumit and made an immediate return to the Israeli Premier League.

Players

First-team squad

As of 5 August 2016.

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Roi Mishpati
2	DF	Karlo Bručić
3	DF	Nivaldo
4	DF	Hatem Abd Elhamed
5	DF	Nir Bardea
6	MF	Stanislav Goldberg
7	FW	Hen Azriel
8	MF	Gadi Kinda
10	FW	Niv Zrihan
11	MF	Roei Beckel
12	MF	Izhak Asepa
14	FW	Dean David
15	DF	Tom Ben Zaken

No.	Position	Player
16	DF	Adir Tubul
17	MF	Tom Mond
18	FW	Bentzi Moshel
19	MF	Dan Bitton
21	DF	Saša Ivković
22	GK	Yoav Jarafi
23	MF	Ben Alfassi
24	DF	Adar Aouate
25	MF	Ben Ben Yair
26	DF	Nino Galović
32	FW	Dražen Bagarić
77	MF	Moshe Ohayon
99	MF	Or Inbrom

Managers

Yossi Mizrahi (2004, 21 April 2008 – 20 May 2010)
John Gregory (1 July 2010 – 18 April 2011)
Yossi Mizrahi (18 April 2011 – 30 June 2013)
Nir Klinger (1 July 2013–7 June 2015)
Eyal Lahman (7 June 2015– 18 December 2015)
Ronny Awat (18 December 2015-present)

Honours

Israeli Second Division:
- Winners (1): 2015–16
- Runners-up (2): 1992–93, 1996–97 (as Ironi Ashdod)
Toto Cup:
- Runners-up (4): 2001–02, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
Israeli Premier League:
- Best finish: 3rd: 2004–05

European cup history

As of 29 August 2013

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2005–06	UEFA Cup	Q1		Domžale	2–2	1–1	3–3(a)

Club personnel

Position	Person
Head Coach	Ronny Awat
Assistant Coach	Kobe Edri
Goalkeeper Coach	Itay Zilpa
Physiotherapist	Ori Beinart
Fitness Coach	Yossi Fahima
Doctor	Alex Rosenthal
Academy Director	Haim Benichou

Kit makers

Years	Kit manufacturers
2000–2007	Diadora
2007–2009	Sektor Sport
2009–2013	Nike
2013–2014	Legea
2014–2016	Nike
2016–	Jartazi

References

↑ Ben Zaken decided: The team will be called Hapoel Ashdod Shirley Bar Dayan, Sport 5, 14 March 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ Ashdod can't change name Sport 2, 18 March 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ Red of shame: 4:0 for Ra'anana over Ashdod. Watch David Nathan, Ynet, 21 March 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ Not a bargain: Ashdod to be disciplined for the red shirts Sport 5, 30 March 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ In FIFA order: 6 points deducted for Ashdod Ynet, 8 April 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ Back to life: FIFA returned F.C. Ashdod the six points Motti Pshehatzki, Sport 5, 17 April 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ No remaining in the league like this: All the numbers of F.C. Ashdod Sport 1, 16 May 2015 (Hebrew)
↑ Watch: F.C. Ashdod relegated to Leumit after 18 years Erez Na'aman & Igal Berman, One, 16 May 2015 (Hebrew)

External links

Moadon Sport Ironi Ashdod Israel Football Association

Liga Leumit

Clubs	Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla Hapoel Acre Hapoel Afula Hapoel Bnei Lod Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem Hapoel Nazareth Illit Hapoel Petah Tikva Hapoel Ramat Gan Hapoel Ramat HaSharon Hapoel Rishon LeZion Ironi Nesher Maccabi Ahi Nazareth Maccabi Herzliya Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Sha'arayim

Stadia	Acre Municipal Stadium Afula Illit Stadium Green Stadium Grundman Stadium Haberfeld Stadium HaMoshava Stadium Herzliya Municipal Stadium Ilut Stadium Lod Municipal Stadium Ness Ziona Stadium Nesher Stadium Netanya Stadium Ramla Municipal Stadium Teddy Stadium Winter Stadium

Seasons (second level)	1937 1939 1940 1941–42 1946–47 1949–50 1951–52 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Israeli Premier League

Clubs	Beitar Jerusalem Bnei Sakhnin Bnei Yehuda F.C. Ashdod Hapoel Ashkelon Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Kfar Saba Hapoel Ra'anana Hapoel Tel Aviv Ironi Kiryat Shmona Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Petah Tikva Maccabi Tel Aviv

Stadiums	Doha Stadium HaMoshava Stadium Ironi Stadium Levita Stadium Netanya Stadium Sala Stadium Sammy Ofer Stadium Teddy Stadium Turner Stadium Yud-Alef Stadium

Former clubs	Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan Hapoel Acre Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Petah Tikva Hapoel Ramat Gan Hapoel Rishon LeZion Hapoel Nazareth Illit Hapoel Tzafririm Holon Hapoel Ramat HaSharon Maccabi Ahi Nazareth Maccabi Herzliya Maccabi Kiryat Gat Maccabi Netanya

Competition	Champions Foreign players Players with 100+ goals Records All-time table

Seasons	1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

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