Israeli squad lacks fitness, says study

THE Israeli national squad, which will contest the World Cup Group Four Qualifiers with the Republic of Ireland, are severely lacking in physical fitness compared to European national teams.

Researchers Muli Epstein and Danny Oren, of Israel's Elite Sports Unit based at the Wingate Institute, the national sports academy, presented their findings to Israel coach Avraham Grant at a training session this week. They had carried out tests on the players over the past two months.

"The fitness levels of most of the players were found to be far below that of their European counterparts," Epstein said.