"We disgraced Hapoel Be'er Sheva, I have no excuses"

Ran Kozuch did not hide his disappointment after the 4-0 defeat to Hapoel Haifa in the Toto Cup, and addressed the performance of Hapoel Be'er Sheva harshly.

"I think it is simply a disgrace how we appeared. You will not hear excuses from me. In any lineup we would have fielded today, Hapoel Be'er Sheva must look like Hapoel Be'er Sheva. It was disgraceful and I apologize to the fans who came here," said the coach.

Ahead of the important match against Sabah in the Conference League playoffs, the coach turned all attention to the upcoming encounter: "First of all, this is the most important match in the career of Hapoel Be'er Sheva and that is what matters. We have a not-so-easy opportunity, this is an excellent team. It will not be easy but there is an opportunity."

Kozuch also addressed the club's previous attempts to reach the group stage: "Hapoel Be'er Sheva was there twice and the club did not succeed. God willing, it will be different this time. Red Star? That is the hardest hurdle we have had."

Chaim Silvas: "I did not like the decision"

Chaim Silvas summarized the one-sided victory and criticized the postponement of the match in the opening round: "Even if it was a training match, to win 0-4 against a team like Hapoel Be'er Sheva... We looked good, we improved, we could have scored more. This is a dress rehearsal, but our match was postponed a bit. It is very frustrating, it is important to postpone matches for those playing in Europe so they succeed, they are our pride. On the other hand, the schedule they pushed us into between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Netanya in the first week of the league... They did not consult, it felt to me that they consider us less.

"I am saying this gently but I am very frustrated by this decision, they did not take us into account. It is important to help the big teams in Europe but in the league they do not need it. Except for me, no one will say this."