Beitar Jerusalem

Israel

Founded

1936

Arena

Teddy Stadium · 31,733 cap

Beitar Jerusalem Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים‎; Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem, or simply as Beitar, is an Israeli professional football club based in the city of Jerusalem, that plays in the Israeli Premier League, the top tier in Israeli football. The club was founded in 1936 by Shmuel Kirschstein and David Horn, who chaired the similarly named Betar branch in Jerusalem. Several team members were also part of the outlawed Irgun and Lehi militias closely associated with the right-wing Revisionist Zionism movement. The club has traditionally worn with kit colours in yellow and black. The team has played its home matches in the 31,733-capacity Teddy Stadium in the Malha neighborhood of Jerusalem since 1991. Beitar's fans have become a highly controversial political symbol in Israeli football culture, unofficially aligned with the Zionist movement and to the right-wing Likud party. The club remain the only one in the Israel Premier League to have never signed an Arab player and the fans became infamous for their racist 'Death to Arabs' chant" However, in January 2019 the club celebrated its first year without any cases of organised racist chanting reported from the stands. Domestically, Beitar has won the 1986–87, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98 and 2006–07, 2007–08 Israeli Premier League titles, 7 Israeli Cup (1976, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2008, 2009), and 2 Israeli Supercup (1976, 1986).

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Israel

Founded

1906

Arena

Bloomfield Stadium · 29,150 cap

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club (Hebrew: מועדון כדורגל מכבי תל אביב; Moadon Kaduregel Maccabi Tel Aviv) is an Israeli football club and part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv sports club. Founded in 1906 as the HaRishon Le Zion-Yafo Association, it is the oldest, largest, and most decorated football club in Israel. With the establishment of the city of Tel Aviv in 1909, the club changed its name to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1922, it became the first Jewish football club to participate in local competitions. The meaning of the name Maccabi – 'there is no one like you among the gods' – forms an integral part of the character of the team, which took the Star of David as their logo to represent the Jewish people. Maccabi Tel Aviv have won more titles than any other Israeli club, winning 22 League Championships (17 after Israeli independence), 23 prestigious State Cups (16 after Israeli independence) and an additional five Toto (League) Cups, as well as two AFC Champions League until Israel were expelled from the AFC in 1974. Maccabi Tel Aviv is the only Israeli football team that have never been relegated from the Israeli Premier League and one of only three Israeli teams to ever progress to the UEFA Champions League group stage. The club is named after the Maccabees and invest a lot in the development and nurturing of young talent. The club's youth system operate football academies at three sites in the Tel Aviv area, working with over 750 children aged 6–15. The club also runs 17 youth teams with 400 players between 9 and 19 years old. These teams tend to compete very successfully in local and national leagues.