Emmanuel Scheffer

Scheffer was born around 1923, although accounts disagree about his birthplace and exact birth date.[4][5] Reports of his wartime experience also differ. Sport5 says he was born in Poland, moved with his family to Germany’s Ruhr region, fled back to Poland when World War II began, and was later released from a Soviet labor camp.[6] Mako instead says he was born in Germany and escaped to Russia at age 16 to evade the Nazis.[5]

Sport5 reports that Scheffer began playing football after the war with the Jewish-Polish club ZKS Bielawa.[6] He immigrated to Israel in 1950 and joined Hapoel Haifa; by 1956, he had moved into coaching at Hapoel Kfar Saba.[5]

Scheffer took charge of Hapoel Kfar Saba in 1956 and led the club to promotion to the top division. He subsequently studied at a coaching school in Cologne and returned to Kfar Saba in 1958.[5] Ynet later described German coach Hans Weisweiler as a close friend of Scheffer.[7]

During his early coaching career, Scheffer supplemented his income by working as a cashier at Cinema Ron in Kfar Saba. When his cinema shifts overlapped with training sessions, he left the cash desk for the pitch; future coaches Shlomo Sharf and Yitzhak Shum once filled in for him at the register.[7]

Scheffer coached seven Israeli clubs: Hapoel Kfar Saba, Beitar Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem, Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Petah Tikva, Bnei Yehuda, and Beitar Jerusalem.[5] He also coached Hapoel Ra’anana in the lower leagues and helped Bnei Yehuda climb toward the top of Israeli football during the 1960s.[7] The National Library of Israel also identifies him as a former coach of Maccabi Berlin, without giving dates for his tenure.[8]

Before coaching the senior national team, Scheffer worked with Israel’s youth side. Ynet credits the team with an Asian youth championship under him, while Mako lists four titles, in 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1971.[4][5]

Scheffer took charge of Israel’s senior national team in 1968, after the departure of Milovan Ćirić.[5][7] He emphasized physical fitness and replaced old-style amateur practices with a more professional approach.[2] At a 1967 training camp in St. Moritz, he introduced three daily sessions, at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., and 5 p.m.[3] Yitzhak Shum, who played under him in Mexico, called him “an innovator” who “insisted on three training sessions every day with demands that I don’t know if today’s players would even be able to withstand.”[2] Scheffer also recruited Lieutenant Colonel Amos Bar-Hama, the IDF’s chief physical training officer, to help prepare the squad for Mexico.[3]

His discipline extended beyond fitness. A passage cataloged by the National Library of Israel recounts that before the decisive qualifying match against Australia, Scheffer noticed midfielder Meir Bard wearing Puma boots, which he considered forbidden, and confronted him. Bard later joked that “we all knew Scheffer was the chief importer of Adidas.”[9] The account describes Scheffer’s team as serious, disciplined, and organized, with every player clear about his role.[9]

At the 1968 Olympic football tournament in Mexico City, Israel reached the quarterfinals. Its match against Bulgaria remained tied 1–1 after extra time, and Bulgaria advanced to the semifinals through the drawing of lots.[7]

Israel qualified for the 1970 World Cup on December 14, 1969, after drawing 1–1 with Australia in Sydney. Israel had won the first leg 1–0 in Ramat Gan.[5]

At the World Cup in Mexico, Israel lost its opening match 2–0 to Uruguay, drew 1–1 with Sweden, and drew 0–0 with Italy. Mordechai “Motele” Spiegler scored Israel’s goal against Sweden.[5] The two draws produced Israel’s only World Cup points.[7]

Scheffer later returned for a second national-team tenure from 1978 to 1980.[4] Across his two spells, he coached Israel in 24 official matches and another 22 fixtures not recognized by FIFA.[5]

Scheffer died on December 28, 2012.[4] Israel Football Association chairman Avi Luzon described him as “the greatest of all Israeli coaches whose influence on the Israeli game and its development was decisive.”[2] His demanding fitness standards and emphasis on professionalism became central to his reputation. Yitzhak Shum wrote that Scheffer shaped both his identity as a player and his own approach to coaching, while Shlomo Sharf had known Scheffer since his youth in Kfar Saba.[7][3]

Several basic biographical details remain inconsistent across published accounts. Ynet describes Scheffer as Polish-born and gives his life years as 1923–2012, while Ynet News calls him German-born.[2][4] Mako records a birth date of February 1, 1924, in Germany.[5]

The accounts also differ on his wartime route: Sport5 describes a family move to Germany, a flight back to Poland, and confinement in a Soviet labor camp, whereas Mako describes an escape from Germany to Russia at age 16.[6][5] Ynet reported that Scheffer died at age 89.[4] The Jerusalem Post and Mako reported his age as 88.[10][5] None of the reviewed accounts resolves these discrepancies.