Raz Amir 03/02/2021 20:30
Mitch Goldhaar Celebrates (Hagai Michaeli)
Unlike quite a few team owners in the Premier League, Mitch Goldhaar is not one of those who often speaks in public, but until the Canadian does, it is always interesting. Tonight (Tuesday) the owners of Maccabi Tel Aviv had a zoom interview with Andy Ram, on behalf of the Ono Academic Campus, and addressed a variety of topics – his childhood, the reasons to come to Maccabi, Eran Zehavi, the leaks, a new stadium, the current team, the future, and the issue of vaccines. The interview was broadcast live on the site.
Goldhaar first told of his childhood: “My parents got married at a young age, they are still married, living in Toronto, they have been married for over 60 years. I had a normal childhood, but no one is really normal, special things happen to everyone. I was a happy kid, I really liked sports. We lived in Canada and it was very cold here, but I never stayed at home. “
“My father did not finish high school, my mother did not go to university. My father grew up with street wisdom, worked hard. He’s a very skeptical person, and I grew up around the idea that the world is a tough place and nothing comes easily, and that’s how I grew up with my philosophy saying you should expect things not to go right and then try to avoid them. This is the mentality I grew up with. We were not poor, we were not lacking, I did not really care about anything material. I think I wore the same jeans to school every day, I didn’t care. “
How to get involved in real estate: My dad was actually a trader and from there he came to real estate and I was around it all the time. When I was young I played competitive sports and I really liked to play tennis, and a lot of the people I played with were very big in the real estate world and we made connections. I realized at a young age that I understand this language of real estate, that I love it. I realized that this is something I want to engage in at an early age, already as a teenager I dabbled in such. “Everything was a natural process, and already in the early 1920s I was looking to buy real estate even though I had no money.”
What made him such a successful businessman: “It’s a combination of things. It must be something in kindergarten, but I was stubborn already as a child, it was clear to me that no one could stop me from being successful. I worked hard, and while my friends would party and postpone the start of their careers, I went to bed early and worked hard. I always felt that everything was in the details, I always tried to understand them. Successful people focus on the small details, it’s not something you exhaust. I never felt there was anyone who could stop me from developing a property. I was exposed to a lot of business people, some who failed and some who succeeded, and I felt at a young age that it was a great advantage for me. “
How he manages to keep track of his business worldwide: “You always have more to do than you can ever do, but it’s the anatomy of any big business and you learn to live with it and learn to go to bed at night knowing it’s normal. Even if you have 100 children you will end up keeping in touch with everyone, you will do your best to address their needs. Every business of mine has its own needs, I care about them more than anyone else. If you do everything in advance and I am a person who believes in doing things long term, in the end it works for you and you can do more because you took care of it in advance ”.
“I feel that my motivation to succeed feeds itself. You need to find something else you like. I feel like I ‘live’ when I solve problems in business, my life revolves around it. I deal with the problems, when everything goes well it does not come to me. A lot of people want quick success, shortcuts, their idea of success is to achieve something fast and that’s not the way I want to achieve things ”.
Corona vaccine: “Unfortunately here it is progressing at a slow pace, we have not been vaccinated yet and I do not know anyone who has been vaccinated.”
The impact of the corona on business: “We are prepared for the worst case scenario. Luckily for us here in Canada the death rate is relatively low. Naturally already in recent years we have moved to build more public projects and buildings at the expense of shops and stores. I think there will be some changes that will remain in the world as a result of the situation, but a lot will return to normal, but I do not have a crystal ball, that’s just my opinion. There may be companies that will try to save money on offices, but I am not sure that working only from home will be something that will survive for a long time. “
What made him invest in Maccabi: “I grew up in a Jewish home, my mother is a Holocaust survivor, I love sports, and at the same time Maccabi Tel Aviv was in financial trouble. I knew Israel, we used to visit here and I knew the country as a tourist but I was tired of being here as a tourist and I really wanted to get to know Israel and then this opportunity came. Before Maccabi, I looked at real estate in Israel and there were some interesting projects that almost arose, but for various reasons it did not materialize but I still wanted to be more involved. “
“For me, Maccabi was an icon and also something that represents Jews in Europe. It’s a role model for kids, and I thought it would be an interesting challenge for me that would also connect to my mom’s history. “After many times I said no and many thoughts, there was a moment when I said ‘well, this project can work and I’m interested in it’, and this is the moment when I returned a positive answer, and I would not replace it with anything, it’s a fantastic experience.”
A world sports club that is his role model: “When I bought the group I heard a lot of the word ‘sucker’, but it didn’t really bother me, I thought it was funny. My attitude as I said is a long term thought. I believe in hard work, I do not understand why people value their leisure so much, but I think we live in a very pampered and selfish world. I think that work offers much more than what your leisure time offers and we are actually happier when we work ”.
“I try to apply it to Maccabi as well, I like to think that we have a culture that values hard work. Everyone is equal, no one is bigger than anyone, and I have no patience for anyone who thinks he is bigger than the club or bigger than the game. There are things that are not negotiable when you are at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Important changes when buying a group: “There were a lot of things that were important to me to change but that’s just my personal approach. A lot of things that are similar to how I run my business, think long term, know how to absorb reviews in the short term. The distance from Israel is not ideal but we are used to it already, and I am not in a business that I do not enjoy. There are lots of great businesses involved in Maccabi Tel Aviv. Jack Angelidis has been by my side for so many years, board members, they are all part of the success, Sharon is innocent. I do not pick up the phone and say that I am bothered by this or that player or a certain lineup, I believe in our culture and if I lose faith in someone then changes need to be made. “
How much does he plan to stay at Maccabi: “We have so much more to achieve. I’m not happy with where we are, we still have a lot of work to do. I am excited to achieve more things from my original vision at Maccabi. We have come a long way. As long as I enjoy it and as long as I have fun. I enjoy the challenge, but when I feel that I do not enjoy it, I will leave, but I have no such intention. “
“I watch all the Maccabi games, you will not believe where I am when I watch them and what I do. I saw the game against Maccabi Haifa while I was in another zoom conversation, so I saw it behind the screen of the zoom with one eye, but I can do several things at the same time quite well. I have seen Maccabi games in the craziest places, but I never miss games. I prefer to watch them alone. “
“I really like the team we have this year. There is something special about this team this season, I really enjoy it. We are not in first place and have not run away to the league as before but I feel very comfortable where we are. We are not in this business of football to finish in second place, but we are dealing with ourselves and we are focusing on hard work and the results will come. “
Selection of people: “I’m not in Israel, but it’s easy to be very close to Maccabi Tel Aviv even from a distance. I am very involved in the club, I enjoy it, the distance is of course not ideal but we have been used to it for 11 years. When we have a doubt about something, a meeting is always held. I choose people who think like me, who think long term. We have great people at Maccabi. Jack Anglidis has been with me for many years, everyone who has been working in the offices for many years like Sharon Tamm, and even our decisions about coaches – we make a lot of conversations before and a lot of preparations before. I do not call and tell the coach that I am worried about one player or another or interfere with him in the lineup. I believe in my coaches until they lose my trust. But the intention is always to find someone I can trust and that I can give him the keys to do everything until the moment I lose confidence and trust in them and give them enough opportunities in the reasonable field. Only then will I make changes. “
What made him choose Sharon Tamam as CEO: “It’s not obvious in a profession like football and it’s wonderful. It’s an exception that it’s an exception. Shouldn’t it be something special for a woman to hold such a position? We did not hesitate before this appointment, you will not find any person who cares more than his employees, which is very important. You want to put people around you who care, that’s part of the secret of business. The challenge is people, not companies. “You had Golda Meir as prime minister, it should not be something special that a woman is in such a position in a football club.”
The red lines: “Leaks are a red line for me. I have no tolerance for it. Do sabotage to someone in your organization, in your family. To undermine the culture we have built, not to respect. I have no patience for it, whether it’s in a club or on the street. This is something I will not tolerate. “
About Eran Zehavi: “We are good friends, we stayed in touch. In general, there is no reason why he should not come to Maccabi Tel Aviv at some point, but there are circumstances like contracts and timing and financial matters that can affect. We don’t know if that will happen in the future. “
His bad habit, that not everything is perfect: “I have a lot of bad habits, I eat too much salt, I am very slow in my typing and in answering emails. I have now decided that it is easier for me to talk on the phone. I’m kind of lonely, not too sociable, I have superstitions. ”
Strengthening the group: “We have been strengthening in recent weeks on our own. How the chemistry has changed is something amazing to see. We are always open to reinforcement options but it is background music. We are building on the existing staff that will continue to lift us. Israeli teams have a hard time dealing with teams in Europe. “A vicious circle where you have to adjust your budget if you do not bring in money from Europe and then it is difficult to succeed again, so it is exciting that we do it, when little Israel overcomes big clubs from Europe and you get some relief from it.”
