Yosef "Yosale" Merimovich (; 24 July 1924 – 5 May 2011) was a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. A one-club man, he played as a forward for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

between 1947 and 1958, winning six championships and six cups. Born in Cyprus, he represented the Israel national team at international level. He went on to coach both Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israel national team on multiple occasions.

Career

Born in Margo, Cyprus, Merimovich immigrated to Israel at the age of 16. He spent his entire playing career with

, winning six championships and six cups between 1947 and 1958. At international level, he made 14 appearances for the Israel national team scoring 4 goals. After his retirement from playing, Merimovich became a coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was appointed coach of Israel in 1964 and helped it win the

1964 AFC Asian Cup The 1964 AFC Asian Cup was the 3rd edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Israel from 26 May to 3 June 1964. The tournament ...

. He returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv winning the 1966–68 Liga Leumit. In 1982, he became Israel national team coach for a second time, leaving after the

1986 FIFA World Cup qualification 121 teams entered the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for 24 places in the final tournament. Mexico, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition. The draw ...

campaign. He went on to coach Maccabi Tel Aviv for a third time.

Legacy

It was upon Merimovich's suggestion in 1942 that yellow was added to

's existing club colours of blue and white, "as a sign of identification with the Jews of Europe".

Death

Merimovich died on 5 May 2011, at the age of 86.

Honours

Player

Maccabi Tel Aviv * Israeli football championship (6): 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58 *

Israel State Cup The Israel State Cup (, ''Gvia HaMedina''), is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The State Cup was first held in 1928 as the People's Cup. Because it involves clubs of all standards ...

(6): 1940–41, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1957–68

Manager

Maccabi Tel Aviv *

Liga Leumit The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League. Structure There are 16 ...

: 1966–68 *

: 1958–59 *

Asian Champion Club Tournament The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious cl ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

Israel *

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

References

External links

*
Profile at Maccabi Tel Aviv
1924 births 2011 deaths Israeli men's footballers Jewish Israeli sportspeople People from Nicosia District Footballers from Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players 1956 AFC Asian Cup players Israel men's international footballers Israeli football managers 1964 AFC Asian Cup managers Israel national football team managers Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. managers Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. managers Cypriot emigrants to Israel Cypriot people of Jewish descent Men's association football forwards 20th-century Israeli sportsmen {{Israel-footy-forward-stub