"Little light in a dark sea": Bakhar thanks Germany

With moving words, Israeli soccer coach Barak Bakhar has reported on the terrorist attack by Hamas in his homeland. The Red Star Belgrade coach thanked the German clubs for their support. "The German federation and German clubs are speaking out. They are on the side of the victims, on the right side. They are a small light in the dark sea of silence," Bakhar said Tuesday. Belgrade takes on RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday (9 p.m./DAZN).

At the same time, Bakhar criticized major European clubs such as Barcelona, Liverpool FC and Real Madrid. "The world of soccer has disappointed me. It's all about money. Can money buy values?" the 44-year-old asked. His wife and three children are currently in Israel. "Just an hour ago, they had to take shelter because bombs hit near their house," Bakhar reported. "My country is bleeding. But I want the world to know one thing: No one will break us. We will win because we have no other choice."

Bakhar recounted a conversation he had Monday with Michael, a nine-year-old boy. "On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists invaded his home, murdered his parents and kidnapped his little sister Abigail, two years old. Michael and his other sister survived. They hid in a closet for 14 hours. That's just one of hundreds of horror stories that happened," Bakhar said.

He asked for more respect for those killed in the attack. "Whole families were burned alive in their homes. Alive. Girls were raped and killed. These monsters cut open the belly of a pregnant woman and killed the baby," Bakhar reported. He finds it difficult to concentrate on soccer, he said. He just needs to flip the switch, he said.

Bakhar would not say whether he would wear a mourning pall during Wednesday's game. He also would not comment on whether he would have liked the European Football Union (UEFA) to observe a minute's silence. Bakhar's uncle was Israel's tourism minister 22 years ago and was shot dead by a Palestinian.