Israeli sports never ceases to amaze. Just as blue-and-white soccer is coming off a banner day when Maccabi Haifa valiantly played Paris St. Germain toe-to-toe earning compliments from around the globe despite eventually falling to the French champions 3-1.

Could it be that Israeli soccer had finally reached the highest of heights and made significant steps across Europe?

Unfortunately those good feelings were wiped away in a matter of seconds as Israeli soccer took what felt like a million steps backwards when the Israel Football Association Technical Director and Head Coach Alon Hazan announced that the National Team superstar striker Eran Zahavi would not be part of the squad for their upcoming Nations League match against Albania and friendly at Malta.

Why you ask? Simple.

Eran Zahavi wanted to continue having his own room ahead of the national team games in order to properly prepare.

Yes, it’s true, Benayoun and Hazan spit in their top scorers face as he headed towards the twilight of his national team career.

The issue of roommates for all national team members came up when Benayoun and Hazan took over the reins for the blue-and-white from Willi Ruttensteiner who had wooed Zahavi back to the fold after having been out of the team for some time due to having thrown the captain’s armband to the ground when Elisha Levy was the head coach.

Since his return to the squad, Zahavi has set record upon record while wearing the national team uniform from becoming the all-time goal scoring leader passing the legendary Mordechai Motelah Spiegler with 33 goals in 70 appearances to scoring 11 goals in UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying which was good for second place together with Cristiano Ronaldo right behind Harry Kane.

Add to that the numerous hat-tricks, game winning goals and the having scored 91 goals in 106 games in China along with 22 markers for PSV in Holland not to mention 98 goals in 119 contests for Maccabi Tel Aviv and Zahavi is a legitimate as a superstar as they come.

He is a scoring machine and one of the most popular Israeli players ever to grace the pitch.

Apparently, Benayoun and Hazan had an issue with that.

When Zahavi was left off of the squad list just minutes ahead of the traditional press conference, some eyebrows were raised and the shock and awe of what transpired afterwards left everyone stunned. It would seem that while the Israel Football Association wants to foster relationships between the younger and older generations they would be more than happy to cut off their nose to spite their face to do so.

While the thought is admirable, roommates are not going to really build those bridges, let’s be honest.

Benayoun and Hazan said a number of times that the door is always open for Zahavi to return to the national team and that captain Bibras Natcho acquiesced to the IFA’s mandate, they would not however, make any exceptions to the new rules and regulations that they are going to implement.

Zahavi almost immediately responded with an Instagram post of his own stating that it looks like his days with the national team are over and how unfortunate that his time in blue-and-white would end in such fashion.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv striker went on to state that he had not heard about the new mandate from the staff but from some of the players and he understood how much the current administration wanted him out. Zahavi explained why he wanted his own room in order to keep to his schedule ahead of training sessions and games and even offered to pay for the privilege out of his own pocket.

He continued to say that he went to the chairman Oren Hasson who was unable to convince Benayoun and Hazan to change their minds and that he understood that at the end of the day what was standing in between his ability to help the national team and going home was a game of ego and the lack of respect as to his contribution to the blue-and-white.

In what was probably his last campaign with Israel, the IFA as it has done so many times before, decided that instead of honoring one of the greatest players of our generation and treat him with the honor and respect he deserves, that he would be unceremoniously booted right out the door is a shame and a disgrace.

This sad story shows how small a footballing nation we really are. Instead of celebrating our greats we treat them like a sack of potatoes. Benayoun for one should know exactly how someone like Zahavi should be revered by the national team and the IFA as he once upon a time also had his own disagreements with the powers that be.

Instead of taking the high road, they have decided to go as low as they can go and once again turn our soccer standing into a joke.

Our because that is what it is, ours. Not Benayoun, not Hazan’s not anyone else’s, it is everyone’s.

Fans have already come out in disgust against the IFA, some who purchased tickets to next week’s contest are looking in desperation to sell their tickets while others have stated that they hope Albania gives us a good lesson. Instead of selling out Bloomfield Stadium which is returning to host national team games, they might as well move the game down to a facility with a few thousand seats because after this farcical move they won’t even fill that up.

After such an amazing European night, Israel soccer has stooped down to the bottom of the barrel.

Somehow we are experts in always making the dumbest mistakes in the name of ego and that is what has occurred yet again. That is s shame for all those involved from the players, the fans, Zahavi and the IFA.

Israel will never reach the top of the top and will continue to be mired in mediocrity as long as we continue to run our associations like amateurs and that is what has yet happened once again.