Avi Cohen, Israel`s best-known soccer player in the late 1970s and early 80s and a league title winner with Liverpool, died on Tuesday from head injuries suffered in a traffic accident, his son Tamir Cohen said.
|Last Updated: Dec 29, 2010, 08:52 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Jerusalem: Avi Cohen, Israel`s best-known soccer player in the late 1970s and early 80s and a league title winner with Liverpool, died on Tuesday from head injuries suffered in a traffic accident, his son Tamir Cohen said.
Cohen, who was 54, was thrown from his motorcycle after a collision with a car in Tel Aviv on December 20.Doctors declared Cohen brain dead on Tuesday, Tamir told reporters gathered outside Tel Aviv`s Ichilov hospital where the former soccer star had been treated.
"To our great sadness, a health ministry committee was in the hospital today and confirmed that our father is indeed brain dead. Which is to say, he has died," a tearful Tamir Cohen announced.
Tamir, who plays for Bolton Wanderers in England, had flown from Britain to be at his father`s side.
Cohen`s 18-year playing career began in 1974 with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He went on to make 64 appearances for Israel, 33 as captain.
A defender, he played when Israel were affiliated to FIFA`s Asia and then Oceania confederations.
It was a period when Israeli clubs and players had very little contact with the top leagues in Europe and he became the first Israeili to play in England`s top flight when in 1979 he joined the great Liverpool side of the day.
He made 24 appearances for Liverpool, scoring one goal in the match against Aston Villa that secured Liverpool the 1979-80 league title. He also scored an own goal in the match.
After his two seasons at Liverpool, Cohen returned to Israel and rejoined his boyhood club Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1988 he briefly played for Glasgow Rangers who were at the time managed by Graeme Souness, a former Liverpool team mate.
He was chairman of the Israeli Professional Footballers Association for the past eight years and was a regular local radio and television pundit.Shortly after his death was announced the radio sports programme on which he was a regular played the Liverpool FC anthem "You`ll Never Walk Alone" in his honour.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.