Robbie Keane is the shock choice to take over at Maccabi Tel Aviv – and he could get quite the welcome.
The Republic of Ireland legend has ventured into the world of management after a series of short stints as a coach.
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Keane was officially confirmed as Maccabi Tel Aviv’s new manager on Monday in a move that has seemingly come out of nowhere.
And the Israeli outfit are renowned for their wild fans, who often bring the volume no matter the occasion.
The first match that the club have next comes against Orlando Pirates in a friendly on July 13.
But Keane can expect a warm welcome before then – maybe a little too warm considering the number of flares fans often bring along with them.
Bloomfield Stadium, where Maccabi play, is usually shrouded in smoke before a ball has even been kicked.
Fans wait around outside for the team buses, which must then make their way through a thick fog of flares, accompanied by eardrum-blasting chanting.
While they rarely reach the group stage of the Champions League, when they are in a European match, the fans do not let the occasion slip them by.
But their wildest moments come in Tel Aviv derbies, which are often hotly contested.
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So much so, that one game last season was suspended by nearly 30 minutes after flares and other objects were thrown onto the pitch.
Facing Hapoel Tel Aviv, fire reigned down onto the pitch which led to the referee taking both teams off.
New York Times journalist Neri Zilber was in attendance and said: “This is how it started. Only got worse after.
“Hapoel fans throwing balls into play to stop Maccabi attacks 4-5 [times].
“Somehow match still continued. 25 min (!) added time end of 1st half. Never seen anything like it.”
But it appeared to just be another day at the office for Maccabi, whose club match report described the chaotic scenes as an ‘electric atmosphere’.
So watch out, Keane, who might be used to vociferous fans having played for Celtic, Liverpool and Inter Milan in his career.
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However, this is quite a bold first step into management, whose last stint came as Sam Allardyce’s No. 2 at Leeds that lasted four games.
Prior to that, Keane has been the assistant manager of Middlesbrough and the Republic of Ireland.
Though he also showed recently he still has his golden touch in front of goal after putting himself on during Soccer Aid despite being a coach.
He immediately turned the game around after Paul Scholes put England ahead as Keane netted two beauties en route to a 4-2 win for the Rest of the World.
