| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Israel |
| Dates | 30 August – 6 September |
| Teams | 6 |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 6 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Great Britain |
| Runners-up |  Israel |
| Third place | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Africa |
| Fourth place | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Switzerland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Goals scored | 49 (4.45 per match) |
Football at the 1961 Maccabiah Games was held in several stadiums in Israel starting on 30 August.
The competition was open for men's teams only. Teams from 6 countries participated. For the first time since the establishment of Israel, the hosts didn't win the tournament, as Israel lost in the medals group to the team from United Kingdom, who went on to win the title.[1][2]
As part of the closing ceremony, an exhibition match was played between Israel and Juventus F.C., which resulted with a 3–3 draw.[3]
Format
The six teams were divided into two groups, each team playing the others once. The top two qualified for the medals group, while the bottom two played for the 6th-7th places.
Results
First round
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| South Africa |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
 Brazil |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 30 August 1961 | |||
| South Africa | 4–01 | Brazil | Maccabi Ground, Netanya |
| 31 August 1961 | |||
| Israel | 1–1 | Brazil | Hapoel Ground, Jerusalem |
| 1 September 1961 | |||
| Israel | 2–1 | South Africa | Maccabi Ground, Hadera |
1. The match between South Africa and Brazil was abandoned at the 80th minute, due to a brawl between the players.[4]
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Switzerland |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Argentina |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 30 August 1961 | |||
| Great Britain | 4–1 | Argentina | Maccabi Ground, Netanya |
| 31 August 1961 | |||
| Switzerland | 1–0 | Argentina | Maccabi Ground, Petah Tikva |
| 1 September 1961 | |||
| Switzerland | 1 | Great Britain | Maccabi Ground, Rehovot |
1. The match between United Kingdom and Switzerland was postponed as the pitch at Rehovot wasn't fit for matches. As both teams already qualified for the semi-finals, the re-arranged match was played as a semi-final match.
Final round
5th-6th places group
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Argentina |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 September 1961 | |||
| Brazil | 2–0 | Argentina | Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv |
Medals group
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 6 |
| Israel |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| South Africa |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| Switzerland |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 0 |
| 3 September 1961 | |||
| Israel | 6–1 | South Africa | Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa |
| Great Britain | 9–2 | Switzerland | Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa |
| 4 September 1961 | |||
| Israel | 1–2 | Great Britain | Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv |
| South Africa | 7–2 | Switzerland | Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv |
| 6 September 1961 | |||
| Great Britain | 2–0 | South Africa | |
| Israel | w/o | Switzerland |
References
- ↑ England's Footballers Surprised by Beating Israel 2:1 Davar, 5 September 1961, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ England Won the Football Tournament Ma'ariv, 7 September 1961, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ Israel – Juventus 3:3 Herut, 6 September 1961, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ A Brawl at the Football Tournament Davar, 31 August 1961, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
