Ironi Kiryat Shmona made it two wins from two in this year's Toto Cup group stage on Saturday, beating Ironi Tiberias 1-0 at the Barel Stadium, but manager Shai Barda used his post-match remarks to push a different subject back to the top of the agenda: the club's stubbornly unresolved home stadium crisis.
The win followed a 3-0 rout of Maccabi Haifa in Kiryat Shmona's previous group outing, giving Barda's side a perfect record so far in the competition. Yet the manager was in no mood to dwell on the performance itself.
"There's really nothing to take from this match, except the victory," Barda said, according to ONE, adding that "the defense wasn't good today in my opinion."
It was when he turned to the club's wider circumstances that Barda's tone sharpened. "I've talked about it enough. It's time for action on this matter," he said, referring directly to Kiryat Shmona's continued lack of a home ground.
The club has not been able to play at its own stadium for roughly a year and a half, after the venue was left unusable by war-related damage. In that time Kiryat Shmona have been forced to shuttle between temporary venues across the country, including Saturday's fixture away at Tiberias' Barel Stadium despite having been the nominal home side for the tie.
Barda credited the club's supporters for continuing to show up regardless, saying they "deserve credit for coming to encourage us wherever we play."
The stadium issue has followed Barda through a period that has otherwise gone well for him personally: he agreed a two-year contract extension with Kiryat Shmona this year, having joined in the summer of 2023 after the club's relegation and steered it straight back to the top flight within a single season.
At the other end, Tiberias were without a permanent head coach on the touchline, with assistant Moti Krispil overseeing the side. Krispil said his squad remains "short and not complete," and indicated the club expects to confirm a permanent appointment before long.
For Kiryat Shmona, the Toto Cup form offers early encouragement heading into the new season - but as Barda made clear, the club's off-field situation remains the story that will not go away until the stadium question is finally settled.
