The Israel national team held a press conference this evening (Monday) at the new Hadar Yosef Hall ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifying window. The blue-and-white will face Cyprus twice this coming weekend in Limassol with the first game which is officially a home matchup on Friday and then on the road on Sunday. Head coach Ariel Beit Halachmi, captain Tomer Ginat and team manager Moti Daniel spoke to the media.

During the press conference, Tomer Ginat announced that he will not take part in the upcoming window after failing to fully recover from his injury. The national team roster includes 18 players, after it was also announced that Yovel Zoosman will be absent due to a knee injury.

Ginat said, “As soon as I arrived, I went in to speak with Ariel and Moti and informed them that I haven’t recovered properly from my knee injury. I really wanted to be here for the national team. Unfortunately, we’re used to hosting games outside of Israel.”

Ariel Beit Halachmi commmeted, “This window has become very important. We need to win both of these games to keep our chances alive for the summer. We will have different rosters in the two games, and we trust the players.”

In response to a question from the website “Sports Rabbi” about the first call-up for Ilay Dolinski and the return of some players who had not been a part of the national team, while Roi Huber and Yoav Vitlem were left out, he said, “As you can see, many players are injured right now and all the players we decided to include are in very good personal form at this time. Some are returning after a period away. Dolinski is a player having a breakout season and caught our attention from the start of the year and he has a great chance to be part of the final roster. Overall, we need players who understand that this window is going to be physical and important—players who will give what’s required.”

Moti Daniel was asked whether Yam Madar will be with the team for the entire window, “Yam is here. At the moment, there’s some uncertainty because there has also been a change at Hapoel Tel Aviv compared to what was the case yesterday, with the fact that Tomer is not fit for them for Thursday. The plan was for Yam to travel with us on Wednesday and as everyone understands, we’re waiting to see if there are any developments.”

Daniel added, “Preparing for such a window is very complex. It requires precise planning regarding who arrives and when they will play. We are in good cooperation with all the league teams and everyone is protecting their own interests.”