From a possible collapse to the Premier League: Hapoel Ramat Gan has renewed itself, in more than one sense
13 years after relegation, Hapoel Ramat Gan returns to the main stage with new ownership, 18 new players, and coach Messay Dego. Will this be enough against the formidable schedule at the start of the season? "Bread and Butter," the season opening project, shines a spotlight on the new promotee.
Hapoel Ramat Gan has returned to the Premier League after 13 years in the National League. The team that was relegated to the second division in 2013, 10 days after winning the State Cup, is now returning to the main stage, and the goal ahead of the season opener is simple: to stay in the league and establish a foothold in the Premier League for many years.
Already at the end of last season, the club underwent a major upheaval with the change of ownership, after Amir Hamias, the previous owner, left and the club passed into the hands of an acquisition group headed by real estate businessman Hanan Salanson. His representative, and the one who actually manages the club, is former player Avi Yehiel. The tremendous finish by the 'Ordonim', who finished in second place, forced the new ownership to reorganize for the Premier League.
Sources in the club's environment admitted this week that the arrival of Salanson and Yehiel saved Hapoel Ramat Gan from financial collapse:
"If the new ownership had not arrived and taken the club upon themselves, we would have been in such a deep financial collapse that there would have been no money to pay salaries to players in the last two months of last season. Many things were done related to the previous owner that are better left unsaid at this stage. A day will come and this Pandora's box will open. Hapoel Ramat Gan fans should say thank you to Hanan and Avi who saved this club."
Messay Dego, 40, who coached the team last season, received a contract extension and will continue to lead the team. Dego arrived in Ramat Gan in the middle of last season when the team was in eighth place. Following a series of 10 consecutive games without a loss, the team managed to finish in second place, securing promotion.
After a Toto Cup game against Hapoel Jerusalem, Dego stated:
"I missed the Premier League very much, of course. I went through a year and a half that was not easy on a professional level, but I learned and with God's help there will be a good season."
This season is a test for Dego. Unlike his previous tenure at Maccabi Haifa, he is now leading a modest team in a very supportive environment, receiving full backing from Avi Yehiel.
Hapoel Ramat Gan has undergone a major revolution, signing 18 new players so far. Six new foreigners have been brought in: Portuguese defender Jota, Serbian midfielder Srdjan Mijailovic, Brazilian winger Luan Campos, Cameroonian striker Marius Novissi, stopper Fared Ibrahim, and attacking midfielder Christopher Boniface. The team expects to add another Brazilian defender soon.
In the Israeli sector, Maxim Plakushchenko and Tamir Glazer were signed, bringing Premier League experience, alongside several talented loan players.
The Premier League schedule has set a very difficult start for the new promotee. The team will face Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Netanya, Bnei Sakhnin, and Beitar Jerusalem. "Except for the game against Sakhnin, in which we need to win, every point or more that we take in the other five games will be a bonus," said a club source.
The team will host its home games at the new stadium in Rehovot until renovations at the Ramat Gan stadium are completed. Next Monday, Ramat Gan will host Beitar Jerusalem in the Toto Cup, serving as a dress rehearsal for the 'Ordonim' before the league officially gets underway.
