Maccabi Tel Aviv announced on Saturday that Jordi Cruyff has been appointed the soccer club's new sports director. The former Manchester United midfielder will officially join the Israeli Premier League club at the end of the season. The 38-year-old son of former Dutch international star Johan Cruyff has been technical director at Cypriot club AIK Larnaca for the past two years. Cruyff signed a three-year contract for 150,000 euros ($196,140) per season, not including bonuses. Maccabi will also pay a 15,000 euro ($19,614) fee to AEK Larnaca, the Cypriot team for which Cruyff has served as director since his 2010 retirement as a player. On Sunday, Maccabi plans to hold an official press conference to present its new sports director, who arrived in Israel Friday on Maccabi owner Mitchell Goldhar's private plane. Cruyff watched the Saturday night 1:1 game between Maccabi and FC Ashdod with Goldhar. After the game, he told the official Maccabi website: "I am honored by the interest and the confidence shown to me by the club. Maccabi is a special club with a great tradition and I am convinced that with hard work and the right decisions we will develop something that the club and the fans will all be proud of." It remains to be seen who the team's coach and professional staff will be. According to his agreement with Goldhar, Cruyff has been given free reign and intends to assemble his own staff. An introductory meeting has already been held with Jack Angelides, Goldhar's representative in Tel Aviv. Cruyff will be given names of Israeli coaches to explore the possibility of working with someone local. Among the names floated are Ran Ben Shimon, currently manager of Ironi Kiryat Shmona and Dror Kashtan, three-time national team manager. Cruyff is rumored to prefer bringing in a coach from Holland, his home country. The status of Maccabi's current coaching staff, including goalkeeping coach Aleksandr Viktorovich Uvarov, is uncertain. Haris Medunjanin, the Bosnian player who currently plays midfield for Maccabi, is slated to return to Israel on Monday to practice, but he will be traded to a Dutch team at the end of the season. Defenders Savo Pavicevic and Nivaldo Batista Santana are both nearing the end of their contracts and are expected to leave the team. Defender Roberto Puncec has a contract for another season, as is the case with striker Moussa Konate. It appears that Maccabi will try to sign a top foreign goalie, a move that will likely prompt Guy Haymov, the current goalkeeper, to leave. Barak Levi is expected to become the second goalkeeper. The team is currently coached by Nir Levine, who took the position on a temporary basis after Moti Ivanir was sacked in December.
Maccabi taps Jordi Cruyff as new sports director
Son of soccer legend Johan Cruyff to be officially introduced at Sunday press conference • Cruyff tells Maccabi website he is "honored by the interest and the confidence shown to me by the club."
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