Bahar bides his time

By Ofer Ronen-Abels

Israel are yet to qualify for a major tournament finals since joining European competition in 1991, but at youth level it is a different story.

Youth success
Not only are they set to compete in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship group stage for the second time in three seasons, they were also regulars in the old U16 final tournaments and also competed in the U18s in 1997. The link between pretty much all these successes is coach Avraham Bahar.

Italian qualification
Bahar, an experienced coach whose experience at senior and youth levels stretches back to 1968, has been involved with Israel's U16 team since 1993. He was part of their qualifications for five straight tournaments between 1996 and 2000, at the same time assisting in a similarly fruitful period for the U18s. He now leads the U17s who, having made the last eight in 2003, are back again competing in Italy next week.

Last-gasp equaliser
It was not an easy journey. In the qualifying round they defeated the Faroe Islands 4-2 before having to come from behind to overcome Norway 3-2. A draw with Scotland left them top on goals scored, but in Austria they then faced a difficult Elite round against the hosts, Greece and Romania. However, 1-0 wins against Austria and Greece left Israel needing only a draw against Romania. Having fallen behind with 13 minutes to go, it took Maor Bar Buzaglo's last-gasp penalty to see them through.

Realistic goals
Bahar puts the success down to careful planning. He told uefa.com: "Right from the start, when I assembled this group of players in August, my policy was to set a short-term target. I never said: 'We are heading for the finals', but first set an achievable target and that was to advance from the qualification round in Scotland.

Step by step
"When the targets are within your reach and don't appear like a fantasy, the players find it easy to believe and can take each step as it comes. This policy has been proved right as we have played 19 matches so far - winning 13, drawing two and losing four. Even now, we are not looking to become European champions but have set our sights on the top two spots, which will take us from our group to the semi-finals."

Swiss opener
His side begin their Italian campaign against Switzerland in Cascina on Tuesday 3 May, before further Group B tests against Croatia and the Netherlands. But the coach's job, unsurprisingly, is made tougher by the security situation in Israel.

Security issues
Bahar said: "UEFA's international ban on Israel hosting matches on home soil had a massive effect on us. Not only were we unable to invite teams to Israel, but also teams were reluctant to invite us over. Inviting an Israeli side gives the host nation and local police an extra issue to deal with."

Extra pride
He added: "Other teams just hop on a bus, travel for several hours and return home later that night but flights to and from Israel are neither cheap nor short. If you combine all these factors, it makes you feel sometimes as if we are getting blood out of a stone. That makes the achievements taste so much sweeter."