One Israel's soccer greats taken to Ichilov Hospital following motorcycle accident in Ramat Gan; suffered severe head injury.
By NATAN GALILIAvi Cohen 311(photo credit: Channel 10)
Avi Cohen, one of the greatest players in Israeli soccer history, was in critical condition after being injured Monday afternoon in a motorcycle accident on Jabotinsky Street in Ramat Gan.The circumstances of the accident were unclear, though police speculated that the 54- year-old Cohen was hit from behind by a driver who did not keep a safe distance.Cohen received treatment by a paramedic team on the scene and was later taken to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov hospital, where he underwent a five-hour operation.Cohen’s son Tamir, who currently plays for Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League, was trying to make his way to Israel -– a task made difficult by the extreme weather in the United Kingdom.“Avi arrived at the hospital in a critical condition with a severe head injury,” the vice spokesperson of Ichilov hospital, Avi Shoshan, said. “He has gone through an operation where he was relieved of internal bleeding. He is in critical condition and is being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.”Cohen is one of the most famous players in Israeli history.He began his career at Maccabi Tel-Aviv, where he won the Premier League and State Cup double in the 1976/77 season.In July 1979, he made a shock move to Liverpool, winning the English championship in 1979/80. He also played for Glasgow Rangers later in his career as well as making 59 appearances for the Israel national team.In recent years he served as the head of Israel’s Players Association.Police detained the driver who hit Cohen for questioning.
