Ironi Tiberias F.C.

Ironi Tiberias was formerly called Beitar Tiberias and adopted its current name after merging with Hapoel Lower Galilee Regional Council.[1] Its ascent to the Premier League followed a period in Liga Alef and two seasons in the National League, with the club achieving successive milestones while playing its home fixtures outside Tiberias.[5][7]

Coaching continuity accompanied that rise: Eliran Hodeida led the team into the Premier League and remained in charge through its successful first-season fight against relegation.[3][7] Ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum was a key signing; Ukrainian player Stanislav Bilenkyi was subsequently identified as an important source of goals for the 2025/26 season.[8][9]

Businessmen Eric Klemzon and Miki Beitan took Ironi Tiberias under their wing around three years before its May 2024 promotion, when the club was in Liga Alef and carried substantial debts.[7] It won promotion to the National League in their first season, then competed near the top of that division before fading during the playoffs of the season preceding its successful promotion campaign.[7] By the final round of 2023/24, Hodeida was managing a squad combining experienced and younger players.[7]

Tiberias and Bnei Yehuda entered that final round level on 69 points, with Tiberias holding a goal-difference advantage of +25 to +21.[7] On May 24, 2024, Tiberias won 4–1 away at Maccabi Herzliya and secured its first promotion to the Premier League.[2] Bnei Yehuda won its own match 6–1 but could not overtake Tiberias and remained in the National League.[2] During the celebrations, midfielder Rif Mesika joked, “I’m not conscious”; the promotion was the third of his career.[4]

In September 2024, the newly promoted side defeated Bnei Sakhnin 1–0 through a second-half goal by Fares Abu Akel.[10] Near the end of the match, the Home Front Command ordered spectators to leave because of threats from Hezbollah.[10]

The club secured a second Premier League season on May 10, 2025, when a 0–0 draw with Maccabi Petah Tikva ensured its survival and relegated its opponent to the Leumit League.[3][11] Tiberias was the only club among that season’s relegation contenders not to change its coach.[3] Hodeida credited the leadership with giving him security of tenure and described survival as a greater achievement than the previous season’s promotion.[3]

After the decisive draw, Hodeida said he had been at Tiberias for four years, experiencing both good and difficult periods without abandoning the club’s path.[11] He thanked management for allowing him to work without interference and his wife and daughters for their support.[11] The 2025/26 preseason outlook nevertheless anticipated another struggle to remain in the division, with Bilenkyi expected to provide goals.[9]

By June 2026, Ironi Tiberias had not played in its own city since June 2021.[5] It played its promotion season from Liga Alef in Beit She’an, hosted its two National League seasons in Afula, and moved to Barel Stadium in Nof Hagalil after reaching the Premier League.[5] During its successful 2023/24 campaign, the team trained at Ilut while staging home matches in Afula.[7]

The foundation stone for a new stadium at the western entrance to Tiberias was laid in February 2015.[5] The original design provided for approximately 7,554 seats in four covered stands and compliance with Premier League standards.[5] Construction stopped in 2018, and the project was frozen again in December 2020 for financial reasons.[5] By June 2026, its reported cost had risen to approximately NIS 130 million.[5]

Delays to the stadium included disruption caused by the war, leaving the club to plan for another season outside Tiberias after its 2024 promotion.[7] In June 2026, the club announced an intended move into the new stadium during the 2026/27 season, although it was expected to begin that campaign at Barel Stadium.[5] That announcement was a plan for a future move, rather than confirmation that the stadium had opened or that the team had returned to the city.[5]

Ironi Tiberias’s 2024 promotion brought a team from the city into the top division for the first time since Hapoel Tiberias last played there in 1988/89.[7] Hapoel Tiberias had subsequently disbanded and was a separate club, rather than an earlier name for Ironi Tiberias.[7] The 2024 achievement was therefore Ironi Tiberias’s first top-flight promotion, not the return of the same club that had competed in the 1980s.[1][7]

The promotion celebrations also marked an individual milestone for Mesika, whose third career promotion coincided with the club’s first ascent to the Premier League.[4] For Hodeida, the following season’s survival represented an even greater achievement, accomplished with the backing of a leadership that retained him throughout the relegation struggle.[3]

In March 2026, club and Israel Football Association representatives were reported to have reached preliminary understandings on a proposed settlement in the double-contracts case, subject to tribunal approval.[6] The outline called for an eight-point deduction in 2025/26 and six more points in 2026/27, a NIS 500,000 fine, and a ban on signing players beginning with the January 2027 transfer window.[6] Miki Beitan was to be barred from involvement for seven years beginning June 1, 2026.[6] An August 2026 season preview anticipated a deduction of at least six points, potentially twice that amount; by October 30, the club had two league points after an applied six-point deduction, with another deduction expected, and had gone five league matches without a win.[12][13]

A separate case concerned intravenous saltwater administered to players before a critical relegation-playoff match against Ashdod; the reported quantity was described as a WADA violation.[12] In October 2026, a proposed settlement involving a further three-point deduction remained pending because owner Aryeh Klemzon had not given final approval.[14]

On October 18, 2026, four officials identified in reporting as current or former Ironi Tiberias officials were reported arrested on suspicion of financial offenses involving tens of millions of shekels over four seasons.[15] Suspicions included counterfeiting, money laundering, fraud, and failure to report players’ salaries; investigators seized real estate and luxury cars following months of undercover work with the Israel Football Association, and dozens of players were expected to face questioning.[15] Attorney Adi Carmeli objected to police publicizing details before the detainees had been informed of the suspicions, while an unnamed player said teammates were “not surprised” and expected questioning.[15] The arrests concerned allegations and investigative steps, not findings of guilt; the club was then reported to be bottom of the league in 14th place.[15]