Sam Yeboah - Down, but not out

Hapoel Tel Aviv's Samuel Yeboah was a wanted man last spring in Switzerland. His close friend from the Ghanaian national team, Samuel Inkoom had told Ruedi Zbinden, the chief scout of Swiss FC Basel, in May that the striker is the "next big thing" in Ghana.

"If you can get him," he told the scout, "don't think twice."

Zbinden didn't think twice and contacted Hapoel Tel Aviv through Yeboah's agent. Gabi Katzra represented the Israeli club in negotiations. He rejected the opening offers of 900,000 euros out of hand, demanding 1.3 million euros - and not a eurocent less.

At a meeting of Basel management, Zbinden did not hide his enthusiasm for Yeboah and got the green light to raise the club's bid.

Meanwhile, Katzra came to see Yeboah as a potential cash cow. French club Sochaux sent a separate offer by fax. Katzra confidently raised the price by 200,000 euros, which crossed a red line for Basel officials. Zbinden reportedly felt deceived and informed Yeboah's agent that the deal was off and that he refused to deal with such people.

Toward the end of the season, Yeboah told Haaretz of some of his frustrations with Hapoel Tel Aviv, and his club consequently fined him NIS 100,000. Yeboah was sure he was on his way out but discovered at the end of May that to his dismay he would be sticking around Tel Aviv another season.

Yeboah scored 13 goals last season, but only one after the 17th week of fixtures. This season, his only goal so far came against Goteburg. The problem is not so much his lack of production, but that he has not even come close to scoring.

While the Reds' fans have lost their patience with the Ghanaian, coach Eli Guttman still believes he can turn it around.

Indeed, against Celtic last week he did not score but had one header that missed the bar and fed Nemanja Vucicevic for the equalizer of Hapoel's 2-1 Europa League victory. However, he started Maharan Lala in place of Yeboah yesterday.

Off the field, Yeboah is also fighting with the club. The contract he signed before last season had a NIS 50,000 bonus clause for being the league-leading scorer. While Yeboah led most of the way, he was surpassed at the end of the season by Eliran Atar, Barak Itzhaki and Shimon Abu Hazira.

Yeboah asked his coaches if he could make penalty kicks for the team, but Guttman - probably unaware of the clause - opted for Vincent Enyeama. Yeboah felt the pain in his pocket and had another reason to leave.

A few days after the season ended, Yeboah launched a suit after consulting with his agent and his lawyer against Eli Tabib, the former Hapoel Kfar Sava owner and designated owner of Hapoel Tel Aviv, for breach of contract. He claimed he was still owed a bonus worth NIS 150,000.

Katzra, Tabib's right hand man, apparently demanded Yeboah concede the bonus in return for a release to Europe. Yeboah refused and petitioned UEFA to be declared a free agent due to the breach of contract. After receiving an inquiry from UEFA, the club paid Yeboah NIS 10,000. UEFA officials are supposed to meet after Yom Kippur to discuss the issue.

Yeboah's reduced goal output is also hurting his pocket. His contract gives him a base salary of $8,000 per month plus bonuses for scoring and assists. The club has already collected a quarter of the NIS 100,000 penalty levied againt him and is holding the remaining NIS 75,000 like a loaded gun against his head.

Officials told him every serious penalty he incurs will lead to a further collection of the fine, and he has received no assurances it would be forgiven in any case.

"How can a player feel free on a club when every little thing could cost him tens of thousands of shekels?" asked an associate of the striker.

"Yeboah needs some peace and quiet to get back to himself."

The coaching staff knows Yeboah is in a slump. He barely coordinates with his teammate on the attack, Itay Shechter.

Sources say Guttman is aware of the problem, but that he believes they will end up working it out. Yeboah's lone wolf status, in contrast to Shechter's popularity, probably doesn't help interaction between the two, either.

Club officials have met with Yeboah to discuss his situation, and he has told them that one source of his unhappiness is having to live in Rishon Letzion, while the rest of the team is in Tel Aviv.

He also said he has a hard time being far away from his family. The club responded positively, and his family landed in Israel last week, moving this week to an apartment he picked out in North Tel Aviv. Perhaps, officials hope, this new chapter in his life will transform him on the pitch.