relegated again after finishing second from bottom, but made an immediate return as Liga Alef champions. Although Maccabi finished bottom in 1974–75, they were again reprieved from relegation due to league expansion. However, after a repeat performance in 1976–77 they did go down. After making another immediate return to the top flight, the club maintained several mid-table finishes, before ending the 1987–88 season bottom of the table. In 1990 and 1991 the club won the Liga Artzit Toto Cup. They returned to the top division in 1991 and have remained there since. In 1995 the club won the top division's Toto Cup for the first time, a feat repeated in 2000 and 2004. In 2001 the club reached the cup final for the first time in 49 years, losing 3–0 to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 2003–04 they finished third, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. However, the home leg of their third qualifying round tie against SC Heerenveen was cancelled by UEFA due to a baggage handlers strike, and they lost the away leg 5–0. In 2004–05 the club finished second in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup again. This time they were more successful, beating Macedonian side FK Baskimi 11–0 on aggregate, before knocking out Partizan Belgrade (with a 5–2 away win carrying them through despite a 2–0 loss at home). However, in the group stage they finished bottom having lost all four matches. Players Current squad As of 31 January 2023 Out on loan Retired numbers 4 – Murad Magomedov, Center back, Played in club 1995–2013. Foreigners 2022–23 Only up six non-Israeli nationals can be in an Israeli club squad (only five can play at the same time). Those with Jewish ancestry, married to an Israeli or have played in Israel for an extended period of time, can claim a passport or permanent residency which would allow them to play with Israeli status. Gideon Akaouwa Stadium The club played at the Maccabi Petah Tikva ground between 1926 and the 1970s. Since they left the old Maccabi Petah Tikva ground they shared the 6,768-capacity Petah Tikva Municipal Stadium with city rivals Hapoel. At the end of 2011, the club moved to HaMoshava Stadium. Notable coaches Eliezer Spiegel (1955 – 1957) Jack Fairbrother (1958 – 1959) Alexander Vogel (1959 – 1960) Eliezer Spiegel (1960 – 1961) Eli Fuchs (1961 – 1962) Emmanuel Scheffer (1962 – 1963) Dror Kashtan (1991