Haifa mourn death of chairman

Hapoel Haifa chairman Rubie Shapira has died suddenly in Nigeria, shortly after speaking of the financial strain of running the club.

Match postponed
The news of his death was confirmed in a statement issued by the Israel Football Association (IFA) on Saturday which expressed its shock at the news and also said that the club's match the same afternoon against Hapoel Ironi Rishon had been postponed as a mark of respect.

'Great shock'
"The IFA received with great shock the news of the death of Rubie Shapira and shares in the grief of the family," the statement said after the death on Friday. "Following the tragic news, the IFA has decided to postpone Saturday's Premier League match against Hapoel Ironi Rishon to a later date."

Telephone conversation
Club manager Avi Kaufman told an Israeli radio station that he had spoken to Shapira on the telephone on Friday afternoon shortly before his death. Kauffman said: "He told me 'things are very serious - this will not end well'. From the tone of the conversation I had I understood what was about to happen. I tried to change his mind," he added before breaking down in tears.

Friday meeting
The 52-year-old Shapira was an Israeli entrepreneur with business interests in frozen fish in Nigeria. Earlier in the week, for the first time since Shapira took over as owner in 1993, Israeli banks refused to honour salary cheques made out to the staff, according to players. They were due to meet at the team's hotel on Friday to discuss their plight before they heard the news of his death.

Invested heavily
Shapira invested heavily in Hapoel Haifa when he took over the relegation-threatened club. He bought some of Israel's best players and hired top coaching staff in an effort to turn them into title contenders. He finally achieved his aim in 1999 when Hapoel Haifa, always in the shadow of the richer and more glamourous Maccabi Haifa, won the Ligat ha-Al title.