It has been an unpleasant few days for Tal Archel away from the pitch. While his Hapoel Tel Aviv teammates were in Bergamo preparing to face Atalanta in the Conference League play-offs, someone broke into his car back home in Tel Aviv, ONE reports.
According to the report, the centre-back's vehicle was parked in the Wolfson complex parking area when it was targeted. The intruder smashed one of the car's windows and made off with cash and personal equipment that had been left inside.
Efforts are now under way to identify the culprit, with investigators reviewing footage from the security cameras installed around the Wolfson parking area in the hope the images will help establish exactly what happened and who was responsible.
The timing added an unwelcome distraction to what was already a demanding week for the club. Hapoel Tel Aviv travelled to Bergamo for the first leg of their Conference League play-off against Atalanta, Maurizio Sarri's Serie A side and the 2023-24 Europa League champions, with the tie finishing goalless on August 20. The second leg is due to be played a week later at a neutral venue in Hungary, with a place in the league phase still up for grabs.
Archel, 23, is a product of Hapoel Tel Aviv's youth system, having joined the club's ranks as a child and worked his way through every age group before making his first-team debut in the 2022-23 Toto Cup against Ashdod. He has since become an established figure in the club's defence and signed a contract extension earlier this year that runs through the 2028-29 season.
There has been no word yet from the club on the incident, and no suspect has been named. ONE's report remains the only detailed account of the break-in so far, though the underlying facts — the team's presence in Italy for the Atalanta tie and Archel's standing at the club — are well established independently.
